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Kylian Mbappe has been 'kidnapped for money' in re-signing for PSG, blasts Joan Laporta

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Kylian Mbappe has been ‘kidnapped for money’ in re-signing for Paris Saint-Germain, blasts Joan Laporta – as Barcelona president claims French giants have ‘distorted the market’ after star signed a £650,000-a-week deal with a signing-on bonus of £126m

  • Kylian Mbappe signed a new three-year contract to remain at PSG on May 21 
  • He was tipped to join Real Madrid on a free this summer but chose to stay at PSG
  • Striker will earn £650,000-a-week and receive signing-on bonus of £126million
  • Barcelona president Joan Laporta has criticised the French giants’ spending

By Luke Augustus for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has slammed Paris Saint-Germain for ‘distorting the market’ in the wake of their staggering monetary package to keep Kylian Mbappe at the club.

Speculation over Mbappe’s future had been rife all season with the forward having been heavily tipped to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

However, in a shock to many, Mbappe decided to renew with the French giants on a three-year deal that was announced on May 21.

Joan Laporta (pictured) says Kylian Mbappe was 'kidnapped for money' after re-signing for PSG

Mbappe pictured

Joan Laporta (left) says Kylian Mbappe was ‘kidnapped for money’ after re-signing for PSG

Mbappe snubbed Real Madrid to sign a lucrative new contract with Paris Saint-Germain - with the forward earning £650,000-a-week and has also secured a £126million signing-on bonus

Mbappe snubbed Real Madrid to sign a lucrative new contract with Paris Saint-Germain – with the forward earning £650,000-a-week and has also secured a £126million signing-on bonus

In order to keep Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain have increased his wages to a mind-boggling £650,000-a-week while he has also signed a £126million signing on fee too.

And when asked about that pay package, Laporta believes the 23-year-old has been ‘kidnapped for money’ to stay instead of seeking pastures new.

‘This distorts the market,’ he told L’Esportiu de Catalunya. ‘Players end up being kidnapped for money.

‘These are the effects of a club having a state behind it. This goes against all the principles of the European Union. It is a reflection on the sustainability of football in Europe.

‘Then there is the reading that can be done from Barca. There is a direct rival who does not come out stronger and we prefer that he cannot make us squirm when it comes to competing.

‘But I’m left with the reflection on the sustainability of football. Because I don’t think we should care so much about a rival either. We have to worry about having a competitive team, which is what we are trying to do.

‘It has been shown that when we have cared more about ourselves than our rivals, things have gone well.’

Laporta is the latest voice from Spain to condemn PSG. As of Thursday, Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s LaLiga, described the striker’s new deal as an ‘insult to football’ while the league threatened to file a complaint against PSG to UEFA, the French financial authorities and the European Union .

Barcelona president Laporta says PSG's staggering monetary package 'distorts the market'

Barcelona president Laporta says PSG’s staggering monetary package ‘distorts the market’

They claimed Mbappe’s new three-year deal ‘attacks the economic stability of European football.’

Now, Vincent Labrune, the chairman of the French league, has hit back with his own scolding statement, reminding the Spanish league that Real Madrid and Barcelona spend enormous sums on transfer fees and have ‘benefitted from illegal state aid.’

In part of his letter to Tebas, Labrune said: ‘We want to express in the strongest possible terms our disapproval, and also our incomprehension, of your latest attacks against Ligue 1 and one of our clubs.

‘The fact that you publicly and repeatedly take this position against Ligue 1 on this topic and denigrate our league and our clubs is both unacceptable and manifestly false.

The Mbappe deal led to LaLiga chief Javier Tebas describing it as 'an insult to football'

The Mbappe deal led to LaLiga chief Javier Tebas describing it as ‘an insult to football’

Now Vincent Labrune, the president of the French league, has blasted back at Tebas

Now Vincent Labrune, the president of the French league, has blasted back at Tebas

‘We are all the more shocked that you are making these attacks given your capacity as president of the European Leagues – which represents Ligue 1 – and a UEFA executive committee member.’

After Mbappe turned down Real, Tebas launched an attack on PSG and their Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

He said: ‘What PSG is going to do by re-signing Mbappe with large amounts of money after losing 700 million euros in the last seasons and having 600 million euros in salary tables, is an INSULT to football.

‘Al-Khelaifi is as dangerous as the Super League.’

PSG persuaded Mbappe to stay with them by promising sweeping changes to how the club is run following another failure in the Champions League this season.

They lost in dramatic fashion to Real in the last-16 of the competition, meaning Ligue 1 was their only piece of silverware in 2021-22.

Mbappe poses with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after agreeing a three-year contract extension through until 2025 to remain at the Parc des Princes

Mbappe poses with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after agreeing a three-year contract extension through until 2025 to remain at the Parc des Princes

FULL LALIGA STATEMENT 

‘Faced with Kylian Mbappé’s possible announcement of remaining at Paris Saint-Germain, LaLiga wants to state that this type of agreement threatens the economic sustainability of European football, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs and sporting integrity at risk in the medium term, not only from European competitions, but also from our domestic leagues.

‘It is scandalous that a club like PSG, which last season lost more than 220 million euros, after having accumulated losses of 700 million euros in recent seasons (even declaring income from sponsorships of a very dubious amount) with a cost of sports staff around 650 million for this 21/22 season, can face an agreement of these characteristics while those clubs that could accept the arrival of the player without seeing their wage bill compromised, are left without being able to sign him.

‘For all of the above, LaLiga is going to file a complaint against PSG before UEFA, administrative and tax authorities in France and before the competent bodies of the European Union to continue defending the economic ecosystem of European football and its sustainability. .

‘On previous occasions, LaLiga has already made complaints against PSG for non-compliance with UEFA’s financial fair play as a result of which UEFA harshly sanctioned PSG, although the CAS revoked them in a strange resolution.

‘LaLiga and many European football institutions were hopeful that with the entry of the PSG president, Mr. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, into European football management bodies such as the former UEFA or the ECA Presidency, he would refrain from carrying out these practices knowing the serious damage they cause, but it has not been like that, quite the opposite. Being PSG with unacceptable salary masses, with large economic losses in previous seasons, it assumes an impossible investment in this situation, which undoubtedly implies non-compliance with the current economic control regulations not only of UEFA, but of French football itself. .

‘These behaviors denote even more that the state clubs do not respect or want to respect the rules of an economic sector as important as football, key to the sustainability of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

‘This type of behavior led by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG, due to his status as a member of the former UEFA, president of the ECA, is a danger to European football at the same level as the Super League.’ 

source: dailymail.co.uk