Kylian Mbappe has dominated the headlines in the footballing sphere over the past few days, following his decision to not renew his contract with PSG beyond 2024, which he informed the club via a letter.

The 24-year-old superstar’s contract now stands to expire next year, at which point he would become a free agent. Real Madrid’s idea had been to sign him on a Bosman deal when that happens.

However, PSG have now decided to sell their superstar this summer itself in order to avoid losing him for nothing next year. As such, the rumour mill has been buzzing with rumours of Los Blancos moving for Mbappe this year, with a €200 million budget reportedly set aside for his signing.

But, despite all the noise, Mbappe has maintained that he intends to stay put at PSG next season. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner had stated his desire to remain in the French capital earlier this week via a social media post while branding reports of him wanting to join Real Madrid as ‘lies’.

Earlier today, Mbappe appeared at a press conference ahead of France’s UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifier against Gibraltar, which is set to take place tomorrow.

Naturally, the presser was dominated with questions about his future and the 24-year-old reiterated his intentions to remain in Paris for the upcoming season.

“I have already answered this question (about his future). Staying at PSG is my only option at the moment and I’m ready to come back in pre-season,” Mbappe said, as quoted by AS.

When asked if his letter to PSG had caused unwanted noise in the national team camp, Mbappe replied:

“I don’t think a letter will kill or offend anyone. I can’t control the reactions in the press and outside, so I don’t really care about them. Besides, the letter wasn’t sent now, it was sent before the training camp, there are some things that I find strange and I insist, I am waiting for questions about the match.”

France President Emmanuel Macron played a key role in convincing Mbappe to stay at PSG last year when he was close to joining Real Madrid. And Macron recently said that he will again try to talk the forward into staying at the French capital club.

When asked how much influence the nation’s leader holds on him, Mbappe said: “On my career today, in 2023, none. He wants me to stay in Paris, my goal is to stay, we are on the same wavelength.”

Furthermore, talking about all the noise surrounding him over the past week, the attacker responded:

“I’ve been used to this kind of thing since I was very young. I’m thinking about tomorrow’s match. That’s my only concern. I’ve always managed to do both. I want to show tomorrow that I’m a great player.”

While Mbappe continues to insist that he wishes to stay at PSG next season, the club’s stance on the matter is clear – either renew or be sold. So, if an exit does materialise this summer, it would be at the club’s insistence.

Either way, Real Madrid will be following the situation closely as they are extremely interested in signing Mbappe be it this year or the next.