PSG president Al Khelaïfi was interviewed on the programme ‘Rothen s’enflamme’ and assured that he wants the Frenchman to stay in Paris, criticised Messi and stated categorically that “we don’t need stars”.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaïfi was a guest on RMC Sport’s ‘Rothen s’enflamme’ programme, hosted by former Paris Saint-Germain player Jerôme Rothen. The Qatari was asked about various issues that concern him, including the future of Kylian Mbappé, of whom he assured that “he is the centre of the project” and that he wants him to remain in the French capital.
Mbappé. “I want Kylian to stay, that’s clear. He’s the best player in the world, and the best thing for him is PSG. He is at the heart of the project. Sportingly we have given him everything. He has an agreement with me.
Response to the City Council for not selling him the Parc des Princes. “He doesn’t want us to buy it because we are Qataris, it’s because we are the state of Qatar and we are Arabs. It is very serious to say that. I don’t even know if it’s legal to say that. You can’t say that, it’s very serious.”
Private deal with Mbappé: “Kylian is a great man, a great player, but also a great person. As he said after the Trophée des Champions, he has an agreement with me. It remains between us, I don’t want to reveal what is in this agreement, but there is an agreement. I don’t want to talk about money or say how much the agreement is worth. We have a ‘gentleman’s agreement’, our agreement is not about money. It is between a player and the president of the club, the sporting director and the coach. It is more than a signed agreement.
Next months: “You have the best training centre in the world, the best coach in the world, we are in the Champions League every year. The French championship has evolved a lot and with the arrival of CVC it will continue to develop. Leave him alone, we are fine, I have confidence in him, he will never harm the club. I really ask everyone to leave Kylian alone. Leave us alone, we are fine. He will never hurt the club. I trust him 200%. He is a good boy. He gave me his word and he is a man of his word. I believe in him.
Change of strategy at PSG: “We tried a lot of things. It’s an experience for us. We are building a young and strong French team. We are in the long term, we are not in a hurry and we have a fantastic coach. One thing is clear. Luis Enrique is the best coach in the world at the moment”.
Messi’s criticism: “I have great respect for him, but if someone wants to talk bad about Paris Saint-Germain after (his departure), that’s not right. That’s not respect (…) He’s not a bad guy, but I don’t like that. It’s not just for him, it’s for everyone. We talk when we are there, not when we leave. That’s not our style”.
The end of the galactic project: “We don’t need stars. Today the star is Paris Saint-Germain (…) We need players who respect the shirt, who respect the club and who give their all for the Paris Saint-Germain shirt”.
Can you confirm the agreement reached with him last year? I don’t want to go into details but I saw that you talked about it. I protect my family. I will not allow anyone to destabilise Kylian or my team. My message is very clear. He is part of the family and I will protect this family.
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