French forward Kylian Mbappe had the perfect riposte to reports that he has sent the Paris Saint-Germain hierarchy a list of demands should he stay at the club, amid links to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Mbappe, 20, is one of the most highly sought-after talents in world football, and is currently under contract at PSG until 2022 following his €180 million (US$200 million) move from Monaco which was completed last summer.
The rapid striker netted 33 league goals last season as he was crowned Ligue 1 Player of the Year, but has increasingly been linked with a switch to Spain to join up with French legend Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
Twitter account Transfer News – which styles itself as “sharing the most reliable transfer news on Twitter and debunking false rumours” – upped the intrigue this week with a post about Mbappe’s alleged demands to remain at PSG.
“Kylian Mbappe’s representatives have sent a list of demands to PSG’s hierarchy,” Transfer News wrote to its 93,000 followers
“They include: - He must be guaranteed to play up front rather than out wide - He must take all penalties when he’s playing - He must own a far greater % of his image rights if he remains at the club.”
But the French forward was having none of it, replying to the post with a heavy helping of humor.
“Sorry you forgot something, Kylian Mbappé want to play goalkeeper,” Mbappe wrote, adding a grinning face emoji.
“FAKE NEWS,” he then added, followed by three red crosses in a post that has been liked more than 40,000 times.
Transfer News was sticking by its belief that Mbappe was off to Spain, however, replying with: “Have a safe flight to Madrid, mate. It’s nice this time of year.”
When asked about the potential move following France’s UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Andorra on Tuesday – during which he opened the scoring in a 4-0 win – Mbappe simply said: "This is not the time to talk about Real Madrid."
But while Mbappe may have dismissed talk of a move to Real before he heads off on his holidays, the speculation is likely to rumble on throughout the summer as the Spanish giants seek to rebuild a squad that finished a distant third in La Liga last season, and were dumped out of the Champions League by Ajax in the last 16.
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Zidane’s team have so far splashed out in excess of €250 million this summer, bringing in defender Eder Militao for €50 million, striker Luka Jovic for a reported €60 million, and playmaker Eden Hazard in a deal that could net Chelsea more than €150 million.