French champions Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered by a Paris court to pay former forward Kylian Mbappe the sum of 60 million euros (£52.6 million). A Paris labour court ruled on Tuesday that Mbappe is entitled to three months of unpaid salary, along with outstanding ethics and signing bonuses stipulated in his contract with the club. The court noted that these amounts had already been acknowledged by the French Professional Football League in September and October 2024, and found no evidence that Mbappe had agreed to forgo the payments.
The judges rejected PSG’s argument that the 26-year-old should lose his claim to unpaid wages, although they dismissed Mbappe’s additional allegations relating to concealed work, moral harassment, and breach of the employer’s duty of care.Reacting to the judgment, Mbappe’s lawyer, Frederique Cassereau, said the ruling was expected given that salaries had not been paid. His legal team also stated that the decision reaffirmed the principle that contractual obligations must be respected, adding that labour law applies to all parties, including those in professional football.
In its response, PSG said it had taken note of the ruling and would comply with it, while reserving the right to appeal. The club maintained that it had acted in good faith throughout the matter and expressed its intention to focus on the future, while wishing Mbappe well in the remainder of his career. Now a Real Madrid player, Mbappe had taken legal action against PSG over wages he claimed were withheld between April and June 2024, before his departure to Spain on a free transfer. His lawyers initially argued that he was owed more than 260 million euros (£227 million) and sought to have his fixed-term contract reclassified as a permanent one.
However, the court ruled that Mbappe’s contract was not permanent, which limited the amount of compensation awarded. PSG had countered by accusing the player of acting in bad faith by failing to disclose his intention not to renew his contract, and sought 440 million euros (£385 million) in damages for alleged losses following his free transfer.
During the final year of his contract, Mbappe was linked with a potential world-record move to Saudi club Al Hilal, reportedly valued at £259 million. PSG originally signed him from AS Monaco in 2017 on an initial loan deal that included a mandatory purchase option worth 180 million euros (£165.7 million), making him the second-most expensive player and the most expensive teenage footballer at the time. During his time at PSG, Mbappe won six league titles and scored 256 goals across all competitions, finishing as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Source: https://news.sky.com/
