Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe denies wanting to leave

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe denied on Sunday wanting to leave the Parisian club in January, saying he was surprised by the news.

« I never asked for my January departure, » Mbappe told reporters after PSG’s 1-0 win over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

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“The information that came out on the day of the [Champions League match against Benfica], I did not understand this. I am not involved in this information either directly or indirectly.”

ESPN sources reported on Tuesday that the striker is fed up with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s broken promises and wants to leave the capital as soon as possible.

“I was as shocked by this news as everyone. People may think I’m involved, I’m not at all,” Mbappe added. “I was taking a nap, my entourage was at my little brother’s game. We were stunned when we found it.

“Afterwards, we had to deal with it, we had a game to play. I just wanted to say that’s completely wrong, I’m very happy here.”

The 23-year-old France international was linked with a move to La Liga champions Real Madrid at the end of the season and was due to leave the Paris club after five years.