- Mbappe will leave PSG on a free transfer this summer
- French forward had hoped to play in Henry’s Olympic side this summer
- Real Madrid have refused to release any players
France Under-21 manager Thierry Henry has confirmed Kylian Mbappe will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer as he refused to accept defeat in his attempts to take the forward to this summer’s Olympic Games.
During the course of discussions, Mbappe, who is 25 years old, was emphatic that he wanted to represent France in the Olympics in Paris this year. However, he made the decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain a month ago, and there are claims that he has reached an agreement with Real Madrid.
Mbappe’s prospects of joining Henry’s team this summer were eliminated when Madrid called the French Football Federation to advise them that they would not be releasing any players for the tournament. Despite the fact that Mbappe is not presently a player for Madrid, this news was a blow to Mbappe’s chances of joining Henry’s team. There is no duty for clubs to release players since the Olympics are not sanctioned by FIFA.
Henry reiterated that Mbappe’s future is not with Paris Saint-Germain, and he insisted that he still wants to reach an agreement with no matter which club he ultimately decides to join. Henry was reflecting on Madrid’s position.
Where exactly he is going to go is still a mystery to us. We are aware that he is about to depart, so we will wait and see what transpires,” Henry conveyed to the press. “What we want to do is have the best team, but we don’t have any guarantees,” the representative said. Everyone wants to come, but the question of whether or not that is really feasible is another point of contention.
On Madrid’s stance, Henry admitted he was not surprised but insisted he is not ready to accept defeat.
“It’s always been the case. I knew how difficult it was going to be. I suspected it,” he said. “It’s completely normal, especially clubs abroad.
“It’s the Olympics here, in France, the French clubs will be there I think to help. But for the foreign clubs, I suspected it. I never stopped at the first no. We will see what we can do, the decision will remain that of the clubs, since these are not FIFA dates. We will try to discuss, but it is not easy.
“We’re going to try to talk, see what we can do. There are quite a few branches on the tree. We have to poll everyone. We’re going to see if we can receive them. It’s difficult to prepare because we don’t have certainty. Yes, there are quite a few names that we would like to have. But we don’t know when the yes will arrive. And if the player changes clubs…it’s not easy, but we knew that would be the case.”
