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– Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has said he would not have to “convince” Kylian Mbappe to stay at the club following their Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich this week.
– A disappointed Mbappe refused to discuss his future beyond this season following PSG’s 3-0 aggregate loss in the round of 16 on Wednesday. The 2018 World Cup winner added that while Bayern were a team “built to win the Champions League,” the French champions had produced the “maximum” they could achieve.
– “I do not have to try to convince Kylian [to stay],” Galtier said Friday ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 match away at Brest on Saturday.
Also Read: Disappointed Mbappe refuses to commit future to PSG after Bayern defeat
– “Kylian has expressed it himself, but if you had asked any player you would have found him in the same state — very disappointed after the elimination.
– “Concerning Kylian, Kylian is a PSG player and he shows it in every game. He has a great determination to succeed and to perform well in order to help bring the club up to as high a level as possible.”
– Mbappe has been a long-term target of Real Madrid and was widely expected to move to the Spanish giants when his contract expired last summer. Instead he signed a new three-year contract to keep him in Paris.
– There has also been speculation over the future of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, with both of their contracts set to expire at the end of this season.
– Messi, 35, has been linked with a move to MLS side Inter Miami as well as a return to Barcelona. Ramos, 36, arrived from Real Madrid in 2021 and recently retired from international duty with Spain.
– Galtier, though, said he was relaxed about their current situations.
– “No, there is no doubt that these two great players, with an incredible record of achievements, are capable of dealing with this kind of situation,” he said.
– “They knew from their careers how to win this [Champions League] trophy and they have also experienced eliminations — they are used to it.
– “They are people, very high-level players, who go quickly from one match to another. And concerning their personal situation, their contractual situation, they are people who are used to managing this kind of moment.”
🎙 Christophe Galtier's press conference ahead of Stade Brestois 29 – Paris Saint-Germain 🔴🔵 https://t.co/ucpFx8ZwaX
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 10, 2023
– PSG said on Friday that their Brazilian forward Neymar had successfully undergone surgery on his right ankle. The club announced earlier this week that the injury would keep the 31-year-old sidelined for the rest of the season.
Our Parisian @neymarjr in the company of doctors Rodrigo Lasmar, Pieter D'Hooghe and James Calder.
♥️💙💪 pic.twitter.com/YGd0pkCRU0
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 10, 2023