A former Paris Saint-Germain star has claimed that Kylian Mbappe told him he felt pressured into signing his new deal with the French giants earlier this year.
After much intense speculation about his future last season, Mbappe surprised many when he signed a new three-year deal with PSG despite reports suggesting he would join his dream club Real Madrid.
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The 24-year-old signed a record-breaking deal at the Parc des Princes in May, worth an estimated £547 million (R11 billion) over the three seasons, according to talkSPORT.
The France forward's decision to stay in Paris was not well-received by Los Blancos president Florentino Perez, who insisted that it was not the Mbappe he knew who turned down the offer to become a Madridista.
However, Mbappe's former teammate at PSG, Jese Rodriguez, has now claimed that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner told him he was going to join Real in the lead-up to signing a new contract in Paris, but later felt pressured into deciding otherwise.
"Come on, I was clear about it because he [Mbappe] told me [that he would join Real]," the Spanish striker, who currently plays for Ankaragucu in Turkey, told AS.
"He told me and I tell more people: those of us who spoke Spanish. I think it was more personal than professional pressure.
"All players make decisions, they can be wrong or accept the decision. But the people cannot intervene.
"For example, the president of France cannot tell you 'don't go here, you have to stay'.
"In my opinion, I think he felt more personal than professional pressure to make a decision."
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According to Madrid Universal, despite Perez's disappointment earlier this year, Carlo Ancelotti's side are still willing to spend a massive €1 billion (R18 billion) to get Mbappe's signature over the next four seasons, including a €150 million (R2.7 billion) transfer fee up front.
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