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Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has promised every effort is being made to persuade Kylian Mbappe to sign a new contract.
Mbappe, whose 14 Ligue 1 goals this term make him the Parisians’ top scorer, has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid when his current deal ends in June.
Madrid have made no secret of their interest, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas recently stating his confidence that the French World Cup winner would move to Spain.
However, recent speculation has focused on whether Mbappe could yet be convinced to remain in the French capital, and he scored a superb solo goal against Madrid last month to put PSG ahead in the two-leg Champions League tie against his would-be suitors.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Leonardo said PSG would “try everything” to keep the 23-year-old, claiming money was not the key factor in negotiations.
“We have a possibility [to keep Mbappe],” former Brazil star Leonardo said. “As long as there is no signature [with another club], we will try everything, we will do everything possible to retain him.
“We did not send a specific offer. There is an important element: I think the last thing we will put into this contract will be the amount of money. It’s not about that. We want to put him in the best condition so that he becomes the best player possible.”
Mbappe netted twice in PSG’s 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne last time out to move level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tally of 156 goals for the club, placing him joint-second in the Parisian giants’ all-time goalscoring charts behind Edinson Cavani, who scored 200 times for the club.
Mbappe is also the only player in the French top flight to have hit double figures for both goals and assists this season, and Leonardo says that means he has now joined team-mate Lionel Messi among the finest players on the planet.
“Kylian is the best player in the world today,” Leonardo said. “Messi has always been at this level, and for me he still is, but it’s normal that others arrive.
“It’s not a case of judging who is best. One is 23 years old, and the other is 34.”
Mbappe’s tally of 10 league assists this campaign places him level with Messi as French football’s most creative forces, and the duo have helped the champions-elect on a run that has included just one loss in their last 17 Ligue 1 outings.
