- Messi & Neymar left PSG
- Mbappe still at Ligue 1 side
- Al-Khelaifi praised star striker
WHAT HAPPENED? PSG endured a summer of turmoil as Mbappe declared he would not trigger the option to extend his contract, sparking weeks of reports of an imminent transfer, while Lionel Messi and Neymar left for teams in MLS and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Nevertheless, the club president maintains that the team are in a better state than last season as he declared his admiration for Mbappe.
WHAT THEY SAID: "Kylian Mbappe is an incredible player and a fantastic person," he told Record. "And the Paris Saint-Germain team, on and off the pitch, has never been so united, which I think was possible to see last weekend, during the game against Lyon.
"This year, in the new Paris Saint-Germain cycle, we are focusing less on results and more on performance and our style of play. If we do that, the results will appear accordingly. We have a fantastic coach and sporting director and I'm very happy with the spirit found at PSG."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The president's comments come in the wake of Neymar saying that he and Messi endured "hell" in the French capital. The Ligue 1 giants failed to live up to expectation last season despite boasting an attack of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar, resulting in the club's fans turning against the South American duo.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG? Mbappe and his co-stars are in action again on September 15, when they take on Nice in Ligue 1.