Mbappé and PSG take contract row to Paris labour court

November 18, 2025 Oliver Obel

Signs of strain emerged in mid-2023. According to Reuters and French outlet L’Équipe, Mbappé informed the club he did not intend to extend his contract into 2024.

PSG attempted to sell him that summer — most notably to Saudi side Al-Hilal — but he rejected the move. He spent parts of pre-season training away from the main group, a decision he later characterized as an exclusion.

Before the tensions escalated, Mbappé had been central to PSG’s identity. Signed from Monaco in 2017 in a deal widely reported at the time as one of the largest in football history, he scored 256 goals in 308 appearances.

French and international outlets frequently described him as the club’s long-term cornerstone, especially during the Messi–Neymar era.

Disputed bonus and competing claims

In late summer 2023, discussions took place between Mbappé and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi about waiving roughly €55 million in bonuses, according to Reuters and L’Équipe. The idea, those reports said, was to help stabilise the club’s finances and allow Mbappé to depart freely the following year.

Once he signed with Real Madrid in 2024, that agreement became the focus of a renewed dispute. His lawyers sought to recover the unpaid sum. France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel later instructed PSG to pay it — a decision the club appealed in September 2024, arguing that no binding obligation existed.

Reuters reports that Mbappé’s legal team is now seeking roughly £232 million, tying the claim not only to the bonus issue but also to what they describe as unfair treatment in his final months.

PSG’s counterargument

PSG has filed its own claim for damages. The club maintains it was financially harmed when the proposed Al-Hilal transfer collapsed, a move they believe could have yielded around €300 million.

In filings outlined by Reuters, PSG argues the forward violated “legally binding contractual commitments” by withholding, for nearly a year, his intention not to renew his contract.

Club officials have also rejected allegations of “harassment or pressure,” insisting instead that the saga damaged the club’s public image and deprived it of significant transfer revenue. They are seeking approximately €240 million in compensation.

Privately, people familiar with the club’s thinking say PSG views the case as part of a broader effort to assert control after years of high-profile departures — a consideration that goes beyond this specific dispute.

What happens next

The labour tribunal is expected to review arguments over the coming weeks. A ruling is anticipated by 16 December, though appeals from either party remain possible. For now, both the club and the player appear determined to press their cases to the end.

Sources: Reuters, BBC, AP, L’Équipe