Paris Saint-Germain sports director Leonardo talks about the state of the French team in an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe.
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Paris Saint-Germain is sticking to the survival of Mbappe!
The sports director of Paris Saint-Germain, Leonardo Araugo, spoke about the situation in the corridors of the Parisian team in an interview with the newspaper “L’Equipe”.
Leonardo denied the news that the team had made a renewal offer for striker Kylian Mbappe, as press reports indicated that PSG would grant him a contract with a net salary of 50 million euros.
“We have not made a specific offer for Mbappe,” said Leonardo. “There is an important factor: I think money is the last thing we will add to this contract. We want to put him in the best conditions so that he is the best possible player.”
Mbappe had refused to renew his contract with the French club, and he is free to move to any club for free next summer, as his contract expires on June 30.
“The value of Kilian is much more important,” Leonardo said in the interview. “The issue of finances is secondary. Determining his salary will take us two minutes.”
Leonardo believes that it is more about “the feeling”, as the French players “have the goal of playing abroad” because “there was no club of the size of the current Paris Saint-Germain”, stressing that Paris Saint-Germain did not lose hope in renewing Mbappe’s contract.
Leonardo confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain did not consider changing Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino, denying that there were negotiations at the end of last year with Frenchman Zinedine Zidane or any other coach.
Leonardo admitted that the Argentine coach “had moments of doubt” about his continuity because he had “go through difficult periods” and this caused “rumors of leaving”.
The sports director of Saint-Germain expressed his regret for the frequent injuries suffered by Spanish defender Sergio Ramos, and admitted that things did not go as expected for him.
“Ramos was signed and his physical condition is good,” Leonardo said. “So far he has played 5 matches. Unfortunately, things did not go as we thought. This is difficult for him and for everyone.”
It is noteworthy that Paris Saint-Germain is ranked first in the French League standings with 62 points, and reached the round of 16 of the Champions League, He won the first leg of the same round against Real MadridAwaiting the return match on March 9th.