'I'm staying': Mbappe deals blow to Zidane & Real as star vows to remain at French champs PSG
French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe has dealt a blow to Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid rebuild as he says he will stay in Paris for at least another season as Paris Saint-Germain claimed their sixth Ligue 1 title in seven years.
The 20-year-old World Cup winner was once again a crucial component to the Parisian side as they stormed to French football's top prize on Sunday, scoring all three goals in a 3-1 victory at home to Monaco and afterwards moved to quell speculation of a big money move to the Spanish capital as Zidane plots his Real Madrid overhaul.
Mbappe's 30 league goals stands him alone as the top talent in the division, outshining his colleague Neymar whose season was interrupted by injury, leading to talk of a big-money move to Spain.
Also on rt.com $550mn spending spree: Madrid boss Zidane ‘plotting triple swoop for Hazard, Pogba & Mbappe’But, as Mbappe confirmed to French media following the title win, he sees his immediate future in Paris.
"I stay in PSG," he said.
The Frenchman is arguably the top young talent in European football today, and as such his name has been touted as a potential import to La Liga alongside the likes of Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Manchester United's Paul Pogba.
Speculation intensified last week after Mbappe was dropped from the first-team by coach Thomas Tuchel ahead of a trip to Nantes as he reportedly criticized his teammates for having 'no personality' in the wake of a crushing 5-1 defeat to Lille.
However, Mbappe's immediate future appears certain to be in Paris.
"I joined the PSG project," he added. "I'm happy for Real Madrid if Zizou has returned. I will watch the matches as an admirer."
Meanwhile, Mbappe and his teammates paid tribute the city's Notre Dame cathedral, the Paris landmark partially destroyed by fire a week ago, ahead of their title win. The players names on the back of their shirts were replaced with the name of the cathedral, while the front displayed an image of the cathedral.
Prior to kick-off, Mbappe greeted firefighters and their families on the pitch to recognize their efforts in saving the centuries-old structure from complete destruction.
