PSG and Kylian Mbappe at crossroads over £46m payment – ​​'We're not paying'

Kylian Mbappe's dispute with Paris Saint-Germain has escalated as the French giants refuse to pay £46million in unpaid wages owed to their former star. Despite now proving his worth at Real Madrid following his free transfer last June, Mbappe's financial ties with the Ligue 1 champions remain unstable.

PSG have been served with an order from the LFP, French football's governing body, requiring them to pay €55m (£46m), which includes unpaid bonuses as well as their income from a seven-year contract at the Parc des Princes – but the club are stubbornly defying the ruling.

Last month, the 25-year-old reportedly contacted UEFA to resolve the financial dispute. The Frenchman is said to have wanted to receive a generous signing bonus promised in February and recover the last three months of his Parisian contract salary.

In its statement regarding the escalation of the conflict with Mbappe, PSG said: “Given the limits of the legal scope of the commission to make a full decision on this matter, the case must now be contested before another jurisdiction, to which PSG will be happy to present all the facts in the months and years to come.”

The standoff was sparked when Mbappe indicated he would not sign a one-year extension, a decision that would have given him the freedom to leave the club without a transfer fee this year. Mbappe's refusal to commit to his future with Paris Saint-Germain set off a dramatic chain of events, leading the club to put him up for sale and initially ban him from first-team training.

But the French superstar was not left in the shadows for long as a deal was reached, which Mbappe described as one that “managed to protect all parties”. PSG have reportedly accused Mbappe's legal team of suggesting a deal in August 2023 to reduce his €55m (£46m) bonuses last season, paving the way for his return to team duties.

The plot thickens with claims that this financial arrangement was never formally ratified or communicated to Ligue 1, allegedly due to a verbal agreement between Mbappe and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

To top it all off, it was previously reported that PSG had withheld Mbappe's salary in an attempt to withhold a hefty loyalty bonus promised as part of his 2022 contract renewal. The impasse led the LFP's legal committee to step in, ordering PSG to pay up just a day after Mbappe rejected a peace offer to settle their dispute.

Despite the ups and downs off the pitch, Mbappe has made a flying start to his Real Madrid career, securing a title with a goal in the UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta. After a mixed start to the La Liga season, where he failed to find the back of the net in the first three games, he has returned to form with a brace in Real Madrid's recent 2-0 win over Real Betis.