Kylian Mbappé secures £52 million payout from PSG
Kylian Mbappé has secured a £52 million payout from Paris Saint-Germain after a French court ruled that the club unlawfully withheld three months of salary and bonus payments during the final stages of a toxic breakdown in relations between player and employer, reports BritPanorama.
The judgment confirms that PSG failed to pay Mbappé sums owed between April and June last year, a period in which tensions between the France captain and the club were already at breaking point. This decision marks a significant victory for the player amid a protracted contract dispute that has dominated French football.
Although Mbappé initially sought a far larger settlement of £231.5 million, which included claims for moral harassment and breach of PSG’s duty of care, the court dismissed those broader claims. Nonetheless, the ruling represents a substantial financial gain for the forward.
Mbappé’s lawyer, Frédérique Cassereau, welcomed the decision, stating, “We are satisfied with the ruling. This is what you could expect when salaries went unpaid.” The relationship between the star player and PSG deteriorated sharply after he indicated he would not activate an optional one-year extension in his contract.
Previously, Mbappé had signed the most lucrative contract in the club’s history, following his transfer for £166 million from Monaco in 2017. His refusal to extend the contract triggered a standoff, leading PSG to attempt sidelining him and even forcing a transfer before opting to withhold payments, ultimately ruled as contractually due by the court.
PSG had aimed to move Mbappé to Saudi Arabia after receiving a world-record bid from Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023; however, he refused to negotiate with the Saudi club, further complicating the relationship. Following this, PSG filed a counterclaim, asserting that Mbappé’s actions had inflicted financial damage on the club, which was subsequently rejected by the court.
The court found that Mbappé had not acted disloyally in concealing his intention not to renew, determining that such behavior did not justify withholding wages. While the court declined to award damages for alleged harassment or safety obligations, the confirmation that salaries and bonuses were wrongly withheld proved to be decisive in the legal outcome.
Mbappé’s departure ended a seven-year tenure at PSG, during which he scored 256 goals, a club record, and won multiple domestic titles, although he faced consistent disappointment in European competitions. Ironically, the club lifted the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history in the season immediately following his exit.
In moving to Real Madrid, the 26-year-old has experienced a renaissance, tallying 26 goals in 22 appearances this season, reaffirming his position among the elite in world football.
As he continues to dazzle on the pitch, Mbappé’s journey underscores the ever-fluctuating dynamics of modern football, where contracts and commitments often become entangled with personal ambition and club ambitions.
