Paris Saint-Germain have been advised to bench Kylian Mbappe “all year” if he refuses to sign a new contract, with former France international Eric Di Meco urging the Ligue 1 giants not to bow to player pressure.
A 22-year-old superstar at Parc des Princes is yet to commit to an extended stay in the French capital despite entering the final 12 months of his current deal.
Transfer talk is raging as a result, with World Cup winner Mbappe aware of his standing and appeal in the global game, but PSG boast the financial muscle that would allow them to play hard ball and leave a prized asset to rot in the reserves.
Di Meco hopes to see that stance taken if Mbappe tries to force an exit, with a man who earned 23 caps for his country telling RMC Sport of a forward that cost France a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 by missing a decisive penalty against Switzerland: “The problem in this story is that by letting him go into the last year of his contract, he is the one who holds the cards.
“What you can do when you are PSG and you are powerful is say: ‘You don’t want to continue [with us]? Well you can stay on the bench all year’.
“Paris has the means to do it. And by doing that, you show the guys who arrive that they cannot run the show.”
An ambitious performer has spent the last four seasons with PSG, helping them to three Ligue 1 titles and a Champions League final.
He has hit 111 goals through 127 appearances and struck up a devastating partnership with fellow frontman Neymar.
While an iconic Brazil international has penned fresh terms, Mbappe continues to stall on a decision regarding his future.
