Kylian Mbappé gives PSG glimmer of hope he might stay

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Kylian Mbappé gave Paris Saint-Germain a glimmer of hope he might stay by insisting he has not yet decided on his future.

Mbappé's contract runs out in June, and last year he caused a stir by refusing to sign a 12-month contract extension, meaning he can leave on a free transfer at the end of this season. The France star is also authorized to talk to clubs in January and sign a pre-contract agreement.

It was widely considered that Mbappé would see out this season and leave. Real Madrid is favored to sign him after twice failing with previous bids. But speaking late Wednesday after PSG's victory against Toulouse in the Champions Trophy, Mbappé cast doubt on that.

"I am very motivated for this season," Mbappé said. "It's very important — we have trophies to win. Beyond that, no, I haven't made my decision."

PSG has insisted he will not leave for free.

"With the agreement I reached with the [PSG] president this summer, never mind what decision I take, we managed to protect the serenity of the club for the challenges ahead," Mbappé said. "That's the most important thing."

Mbappé has been in a similar position before, making PSG wait until the end of his then-contract before signing a new one in May 2022 when Madrid was aggressively pursuing him.

He said he was unsure when he would announce his decision this time.

"I have no idea," Mbappé said. "It was made at the end of May in 2022 because I didn't know until May. If I know what I want do [now], why wait around? But the most important thing is winning trophies. We're determined, and the team is focused on that."

Mbappé's goal in the 2-0 victory over Toulouse took his overall tally to 22 in 23 matches this season and extended his PSG scoring record to 234 since joining in the summer of 2017.

But he failed to score or make an impression when PSG lost 4-1 at Newcastle and 2-1 at AC Milan in the Champions League, scraping into the last 16 in second place in the final round of games.

Still, Mbappé is enjoying playing under new coach Luis Enrique.

"He arrived with clear ideas," Mbappé said. "It takes time, but I think we're starting to see some interesting things. It's more structured, you can see it in the way we attack."

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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