Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel, whose authority has been strengthened by his new deal, has not ruled out the sale of either Kylian Mbappé or Neymar.
Paris Saint-Germain have sent out a statement as they seek to take charge of the situation sparked by Kylian Mbappé a week ago. With both Mbappé and now Neymar in the eye of the storm for differing reasons, PSG on Saturday announced that coach Thomas Tuchel’s contract had been extended until 2021.
Before the shadow of the soon-to-be-available Massimiliano Allegri hang any further over the club, PSG looked to make a very clear statement: they were reinforcing the authority of their coach in the face of the unruliness and caprice of their two chief stars – even at a cost of seeing either of them leave Paris. Real Madrid’s hopes of seeing Neymar or Mbappé pull on the white shirt have been given a major boost.
Neymar does one to Brazil, but Tuchel focuses on Mbappé
There were no further reactions from PSG until Thursday, when Tuchel had to toil through an uncomfortable press conference ahead of his side’s final Ligue 1 match of the season. On top of the Mbappé situation, after all, there were Neymar’s latest antics: the forward, who was unavailable for the clash at Reims due to suspension, had jetted back to Brazil without the German’s permission.
However, it was Mbappé who Tuchel took aim at, responding to the 20-year-old’s recent words by reminding him of past misdemeanours. “He’s very intelligent and maybe thought that it was the moment to say this,” Tuchel said. “But Mbappé is, like all PSG players, encouraged to take on responsibility. He’s encouraged to be punctual and to eat, sleep, training and play like a professional. He doesn’t need to give a speech to say that.” The comments included a clear reference to Mbappé’s late arrival to a team talk in October, an offence that cost him his starting place in Le Classique against Marseille.
During the same appearance before the media, Tuchel notably failed to rule out the possibility of either Mbappé or Neymar departing the French capital this summer, declaring: “If you ask me, the manager, yes, I want them here next season. But if not, we will find solutions.”
“This is football,” he added. In recent years, it is a game that has undergone a process of inflation that reduces the possible destinations of two superstars who would both command huge fees. Indeed, specialist websites value Mbappé at over 200m euros, while Neymar’s worth is put at between 180m and 230m by KPMG. “In Europe, I only see Real Madrid and Barcelona, and perhaps the odd Premier League club, as being capable of affording such an outlay,” said financial expert Christophe Lepetit in Monday’s Le Parisien, when asked about Mbappé.