Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain faced the possibility of losing Kylian Mbappé without receiving anything in return as his contract was nearing its end in the summer of 2023. To avoid this situation, PSG decided to seek his sale before his agreement ended. Despite receiving a €300 million offer from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, the club rejected the proposal.
Mbappé was left out of the first league match of the season by PSG, but soon returned to the team after holding talks with the management. However, the relationship between the player and the club ended amid tensions, and some fans even booed Mbappé in his last match at Parc des Princes.
The French player, who has scored eight goals in 13 matches with Real Madrid, expressed his frustration at feeling that PSG had not fulfilled the promise of strengthening the team with key players. Mbappé, in turn, felt disappointed despite being offered the most lucrative contract in the club's history in 2022.
Before a match with Barcelona, Mbappé spoke about the situation: "Fundamentally, this is a matter of good faith, honesty, standing up for your values, and respecting the institution of Paris (Saint-Germain) and its fans." Although PSG claimed to have reached a verbal agreement with the player when he decided not to extend his contract, Mbappé chose to join Real Madrid as a free agent this summer.
The French league's appeals committee confirmed that PSG must pay Mbappé €55 million ($60 million) as outstanding salary, after the club appealed the previous decision. Despite the tension between both parties, the player left the pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea after informing the team of his intentions not to extend his agreement.
