Transfer Centre

Paris Saint-Germain president vows to keep hold of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 26 March 2023

PSG president vows to keep hold of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists that the Parisiens will do everything possible to keep hold of star forwards Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has insisted that the club will do everything in their power to retain the services of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Only a few weeks ago, the futures of all three members of PSG's famed trifecta were up in the air, as speculation surrounding a possible exit for Neymar also began to gather pace again.

While the Brazil international has apparently now ruled out the prospect of leaving Parc des Princes, there is little clarity on the situations of Messi and Mbappe.

The former could walk away as a free agent at the end of the season, while Mbappe's deal only runs until 2024 with the option of an additional 12 months.

With PSG once again failing in their pursuit of an elusive Champions League crown - going down 3-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the last 16 - both star names are unsurprisingly being tipped to depart, in spite of the Parisiens' continued domestic dominance.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring for Paris Saint-Germain on March 4, 2023 © Reuters

Nevertheless, Al-Khelaifi has insisted that PSG will not make "mistakes" when it comes to their most prized assets, and the club are fighting tooth and nail to tie them to fresh terms.

"We are lucky to have some of the best players in the world, who wanted to play for PSG despite receiving offers from other clubs. We are working to keep them going," Al-Khelaifi told Marca.

"We are going to analyse what we are doing and make sure we can continue with them; we want to do things accordingly. We are not going to make mistakes. We focus on youth and young talent, we have many projects for the future."

After struggling to adapt to the demands of Ligue 1 during his debut season in Paris, seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has thrived under Christophe Galtier with 18 goals and 17 assists from 32 matches this season.

Even if a fresh deal cannot be agreed with the Argentine, PSG can trigger a 12-month option in his existing contract, although they are now said to be having second thoughts about doing so.

Lionel Messi wins The Best FIFA Men's Player 2022 award on February 27, 2023 © Reuters

Clubs in North America and Saudi Arabia continue to keep a watchful eye on the situation, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta has affirmed that the door is open for Messi to make a marquee return to Catalonia.

Meanwhile, Mbappe raised eyebrows when he rebuffed Real Madrid to sign a new contract at Parc des Princes last year, and his terms also include an option to extend until 2025.

The France international supposedly only has a few months left to trigger that extension, otherwise he will be free to walk away for nothing at the end of next season.

Real had cooled their interest in Mbappe after being snubbed by the 24-year-old, but Los Blancos could soon reignite their pursuit as they prepare for life without the long-serving Karim Benzema.

Manchester United have also been tipped to make a move for Mbappe if a lucrative takeover goes through in the coming months, although the attacker recently affirmed that he remains "very happy" in the French capital.