By Nurat Uthman
France striker Kylian Mbappe has turned his back on “several tens of millions” of euros in a bid to ease a possible move away from Paris Saint-Germain, a source involved in the negotiations told AFP on Thursday.
In an agreement he reached with the club last summer, the source claims Mbappe waived bonuses amounting to around 60 to 70 million euros ($65.6 million to $76.6 million), covering the club financially in the event of his likely departure when his contract expires in June.
Mbappe has been free to sign anywhere he wishes since the transfer window opened on Monday.
French daily Le Parisien cites an 80 million euro ‘loyalty’ bonus that he should have received last September, and other bonuses taking the total to 100 million euros.
These figures, however, were denied by the source close to the negotiations.
“With the agreement I reached with the president this summer, whatever my decision, we managed to protect all parties and preserve the club’s peace of mind for the challenges to come – that’s the most important thing,” Mbappe said on Wednesday after PSG’s victory in the Champions Trophy.
The agreement means PSG will be covered if Mbappe, who said he has not yet made a decision on his future, leaves without a transfer fee.
According to Le Parisien, the contract he signed in 2022 secured Mbappe a salary of 72 million euros per year, a signing bonus of 150 million euros and a loyalty bonus which rose from 70 million euros in year one to 90 million in year three.
By staying in Paris until June, without extending his contract beyond that, Mbappe could have secured a payment of more than 200 million euros.
With no transfer fee involved, he would likely be compensated by a healthy signing-on fee for any club he might join in the summer.
When contacted by AFP, there was no immediate reaction from Mbappe’s entourage while PSG has declined to comment.
