MAX SPORTS: Stade Pierre-Mauroy

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Sunday, 26 May 2024

KYLIAN MBAPPÉ SAYS LIKELY REAL MADRID TRANSFER 'DAYS' AWAY

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Kylian Mbappé said he will announce his next career move in a "few days" after winning the French Cup with Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

Mbappé is widely expected to join Real Madrid having already confirmed he will leave PSG when his contract expires this summer.

After his team's 2-1 win over Lyon in the final, Mbappé was asked by reporters why he is yet to formally reveal his next club.

"Because I think the best thing to do is to finish saying goodbye," the France captain said in the mixed zone of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

"All I wanted was to finish well. There is a time for everything. I will announce my new club in due course. It will be only a few days away so there is no problem."

Pressed by journalists if that meant the transfer would be official before the national team meets to prepare for the European Championship, Mbappé added: "I still don't know, there are still some details. The most important thing was to win and to experience these final emotions."

Mbappé spoke about what he felt playing his last game for PSG after seven seasons.

"Nostalgia, emotion; It was cool. I always understood where I was, this unique experience of playing for PSG. Playing for PSG, I would recommend it," he said.

"I was lucky enough to experience it. What I have had, I wouldn't experience anywhere else. Now I'm going to experience something else and I'm sure that will be magical too."

- ESPN

Thursday, 23 May 2024

DEPARTING MBAPPÉ CHASES A LAST TROPHY WITH PSG IN FRENCH CUP FINAL AGAINST RESURGENT LYON

AP Photo

PARIS (AP) — This time, it's really the end.

After missing Paris Saint-Germain’s last two league games, Kylian Mbappé should start in the French Cup final against Lyon on Saturday for his final match in a PSG shirt.

The forward, who is widely expected to join Real Madrid, was given some free time by coach Luis Enrique last weekend and was spotted enjoying himself at the Cannes film festival while PSG wrapped up a 12th victorious league campaign in less glamorous settings.

Mbappé told PSG in February he will leave at the end of the season — Saturday night — and confirmed it this month. Over the last three months, Enrique has tried to make PSG less reliant on his star striker, arguing that he needed to start thinking about the future knowing that Mbappé would not be around next season.

Although Enrique has yet to decide on his starting XI for Saturday's final at Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy, snubbing Mbappé, or even leaving him on the bench, would equate to a slap in his face.

Mbappé is the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 and has won six Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups with PSG. Although he didn't lead the club to a Champions League trophy in his seven seasons in Paris, he largely contributed to helping PSG reach a respected status on the continent.

Leaving him on the sidelines on the night he could cap his PSG journey with yet another title seems highly unlikely, although Enrique has warned his players he will select only those who deserve it.

“We’ll see who’s ready, who’s not ready (to play), who wants to, who doesn’t want to,” Enrique said.

Like Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé did not play against Nice and Metz in the closing league rounds but should be back to face a resurgent Lyon side led by former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

LYON MASTER OF COMEBACKS

Lyon has been in impressive form in recent months and Enrique can't afford to take the five-time Cup champion lightly.

Since Pierre Sage was appointed coach last November when Lyon was at the bottom of the league, the team has been transformed into a winning machine. After sealing European soccer next season, Lyon can cap a remarkable second half of the season with its first silverware since 2012.

One of Lyon's main assets has been its capacity to come from behind under Sage's guidance. According to French league statistics, Lyon has secured 27 points from a losing position, with only Liverpool and Girona doing better in the top five leagues. Lyon substitutes have contributed 18 goals since Sage's appointment.