Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered by a French court to pay Kylian Mbappé a total of £52.5 million in unpaid wages and bonuses. The forward left PSG on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 and signed for Real Madrid, who he had been chasing for several years. He previously turned down a record move to Saudi side Al Hilal, which is thought to have included a transfer fee of around £262 million.
The failure sparked a bitter dispute between PSG and Mbappé, which reached the Labor Court in Paris last month. Mbappe was seeking £231.5m from his former club, including £46.3m in unpaid wages. He claimed a nine-figure sum in damages over a contract dispute and alleged abuse by the French giants.
However, he was awarded only a fraction of the amount, as the court found that PSG had failed to pay him three months’ salary in addition to his ethics bonus and contract bonus under the terms of his contract.
Mbappe’s lawyer Frederic Kasserow said: “We are satisfied with this judgment. This is what you would expect when your salary is unpaid.”
However, the court’s decision can be appealed, suggesting that the end of the long-running dispute between the parties may not yet be in sight.
PSG had counter-sued for around £211m, citing damages and “opportunity loss” caused by Mbappé leaving on a free transfer following his decision to reject a move to Al Hilal.
Their relationship took a turn for the worse when Mbappé decided not to extend his contract, which expires in the summer of 2024, into 2023.
As a result, the club offered him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history for 2022, but he was denied a high transfer fee. Mbappé was then kicked out of the first-team group and forced to train with marginal players during pre-season.
He missed the opening game of the league, but returned to the squad for the final season after internal discussions with the club at the center of the dispute.
PSG accused Mbappé of breaching his contract, which reportedly included a pay cut if he left on a free transfer. The club said the arrangement was made to protect its financial stability.
They claimed that Mbappé hid his decision not to extend his contract for nearly 11 months, preventing transfer arrangements and causing serious financial harm to the club.
Mbappé was also accused of breaching contractual obligations and the principles of honesty and loyalty.
The player’s advisors said, “For seven years, Mbappé meticulously fulfilled his sporting and contractual obligations until the final day.
“He went to great lengths to avoid litigation, even dropping the harassment charges in the spirit of settlement. In total, he sought payment of his salary and bonuses for more than 18 months.”
PSG denied all allegations of harassment, pointing out that Mbappé appeared in 94 per cent of the games in the final season and always worked under conditions compliant with the Professional Football Charter.
Mbappé remains on Real Madrid’s books and will be detained until the summer of 2029. Meanwhile, PSG won the Champions League last season without him in the team.
