Tag: PSG

The long-running dispute between Kylian Mbappe and his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) moved to the French labour court on Monday, with both sides presenting staggering financial claims.

Mbappe, now a Real Madrid player, is seeking €263 million ($304m) from PSG, while the club is demanding €440 million in return, citing lost transfer revenue, reputational damage, and an alleged breach of a post-transfer agreement.

The conflict traces back to June 2023, when PSG attempted to transfer Mbappe to Saudi club Al Hilal for €300 million, a move the striker refused.

Mbappe subsequently left Paris on a free transfer when his contract expired the following summer.

PSG lawyer Renaud Semerdjian confirmed the club’s claim, explaining that the €440 million figure reflects both financial losses and damage to PSG’s image.

Mbappe, who did not attend Monday’s hearing, denies ever agreeing to waive any payments from the club and has challenged the classification of his contract under French labour law.

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The dispute also stems from Mbappe’s treatment at PSG during the 2023-24 season.

According to the France captain, he was sidelined, forced to train with players PSG were looking to offload, and excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.

The striker initially filed a complaint in June over what he described as unfair treatment by the Qatari-owned club.

Mbappe spent seven seasons at PSG, scoring 256 goals in 308 appearances, but left just before the club captured their first Champions League title. He now earns a reported €30 million annually at Real Madrid.

The tribunal is expected to take several weeks before delivering a verdict, with a decision anticipated on December 16.

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Portuguese midfielder Vitinha said Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) home clash with undefeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday will be a meeting between “the two best teams in Europe”.

PSG come into the sternest test yet of their European title defence, top of the French Ligue 1, and with three wins from three so far in the league phase.

But their opponents, Bayern, have started their season with a European record 15 wins in 15 outings, and sit second behind only PSG in the standings in the continent’s elite club competition.

“We are the two best teams in Europe. Bayern are in fantastic form. We’re also doing well, continuing our momentum from last year,” Vitinha told his pre-match press conference on Monday.

But as for who is mightiest between the two heavyweights, the 25-year-old said Tuesday’s match will tell.

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“The answer will be given tomorrow. We have to talk on the pitch,” he told reporters.

“When you’re a player, you want to play in this type of match because everyone wants to see it, and people will say, ‘this team is better because they won’.”

PSG coach Luis Enrique was, however, more temperate in his build-up to the game.

“To find out who is the best team in Europe, we have to wait until the end of the season and see how many trophies each team wins,” the 55-year-old said.

“Right now, it’s clear they are very strong… It’s incredible that they’ve won their last 15 matches. We already have trouble winning three or four matches.”

If PSG have been less dominant than Bayern domestically — drawing three matches and losing one in 11 league outings — Luis Enrique said supporters should still “trust” his side to show they can best the Bavarians.

“Do you think that I or the supporters should assess our team? I don’t think so, we deserve to have a little trust,” the Spaniard said.

“But tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Parc des Princes with our supporters, we have the confidence we need to overcome their pressing game.”

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Ousmane Dembele scored on his return from injury as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, as both teams finished with 10 men.

Ballon d’Or winner Dembele scored PSG’s sixth just three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early September.

Desire Doue bagged a brace while Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha also hit the net at Leverkusen’s BayArena as the visitors laid down the gauntlet to their European rivals.

“We are a team that always wants to win everything. This season, we want to win everything again,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

“That will be difficult, but we have the confidence we gained last year. We want this title again.”

Aleix Garcia scored both of the hosts’ goals while PSG lost centre-back Illia Zabarnyi to a red card on 37 minutes, as he conceded a second spot-kick of the match.

Leverkusen also had captain Robert Andrich dismissed for crashing his elbow into Doue’s jaw a few minutes earlier.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand told Amazon Prime that his side “lost it in seven minutes before halftime”.

“We were level, but we wanted too much,” he added. “We were too open and made too many mistakes in that seven-minute period.

“We met the best team in the world right now. They’re very strong.”

PSG have been injury-hit and inconsistent this season, but once both teams were reduced to 10 men, they dominated their hapless hosts.

PSG’s bid to go back-to-back on the European stage will face tougher tests than the rebuilding Leverkusen, who fielded six starters who only joined the club in the summer.

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The French champions showcased their attacking riches alongside the steel needed to overcome setbacks borne out of last year’s breakthrough campaign.

PSG’s preparation for the game was boosted by the news that Dembele and captain Marquinhos were fit enough to travel to Germany.

The duo, crucial to PSG’s barnstorming treble last season, watched on from the bench as PSG took the lead after just seven minutes.

Mendes hit a cross over the Leverkusen defence for Pacho to head in at the far post.

Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for a Zabarnyi handball with 25 minutes gone, but Alejandro Grimaldo hit the post with his spot-kick.

The writing looked to be on the wall for Leverkusen when they were reduced to 10 men by Andrich’s needless foul on Doue on 33 minutes.

But they were then handed a lifeline shortly afterwards when Zabarnyi’s performance went from bad to nightmarish as he gave away a second penalty and saw red for clumsily bringing down Christian Kofane as the last man, with Garcia scoring from the spot.

Rather than tighten up, the red card galvanised the French side, who reacted by scoring three goals in eight minutes to stun the hosts.

Doue scored twice, either side of a Kvaratskhelia scorcher, to go into the break 4-1 up and cruising.

Mendes scored five minutes into the second half to help PSG pick up where they had left off.

While Garcia’s long-distance stunner on 54 minutes was a rare Leverkusen highlight, PSG had the last words.

Dembele cut the ball home from a tight angle, and Vitinha added even more gloss on the final score, rounding out an incredible European night for the defending champions.

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Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele is in line to make his return from injury for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, a source close to the club told AFP on Monday.

The news will come as a welcome boost for PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out for six weeks with a hamstring problem he suffered on international duty with France in early September.

He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week.

He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but is part of the first team squad for Tuesday’s match in Germany, the source said.

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PSG published images of Dembele training normally on Saturday.

The reigning European and French champions welcomed back forwards Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was a substitute, against Strasbourg.

They are, however, still missing midfield duo Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, although some media have reported that captain Marquinhos has travelled to Germany with the squad.

“I don’t know when the injured players will return,” Luis Enrique had said on Thursday, adding that the club did not want to “take risks with the players’ health”.

They have made a strong start to their Champions League defence, beating Atalanta and Barcelona in their opening two matches, while Leverkusen drew with FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven.

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has urged the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to work hard on his game ahead of the Champions League clash against Paris-Saint-Germain.

The holders visit Barcelona on Wednesday, and 18-year-old winger Yamal is keen to shine after finishing as runner-up at the Ballon d’Or gala last week, behind PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.

Yamal returned from a groin injury on Sunday against Real Sociedad in La Liga and provided an assist a minute after coming off the bench during a bright second-half cameo.

“(Calling him) super, super, super… I don’t like this… he’s 18 years old and for me he also has to focus on working hard,” Flick told reporters.

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“It’s not always easy, with talent you can get to this point, but to reach the next level, one or two steps more — and I think he’s able to do that — he has to work hard.”

Last season, Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup, but fell just short in the Champions League, beaten in the semi-finals by Inter Milan despite two sensational displays by Yamal.

Against Luis Enrique’s attacking PSG side Flick demanded Yamal and his team-mates knuckle down when the French champions are in possession.

“It’s not only about playing with the ball, it’s also defending,” continued Flick.

“This is what we need from every player — even a great player with the ball like him — and this makes the difference.”

Flick said to beat PSG, his team had to concentrate from “the first second to the end of the match” and play at their highest level.

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Club captain Marquinhos has joined the growing list of big-name absentees for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after suffering a thigh issue, the European champions announced on Friday.

The 31-year-old Brazilian defender “will undergo treatment on a left thigh injury over the next few weeks”, PSG announced on their website.

The latest injury blow for Luis Enrique’s side comes in the wake of injuries to stars Joao Neves and Desire Doue, as well as recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

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PSG did not specify when Marquinhos picked up the injury, with the centre-half playing the full 90 minutes of his side’s last outing, a 1-0 defeat at arch-rivals Marseille on Monday in which Marquinhos scored an own goal.

When contacted by AFP, PSG did not immediately respond.

Bradley Barcola was, however, present at Friday’s training session ahead of PSG’s league meeting with Auxerre this weekend, after having missed the Marseille defeat due to muscle fatigue in his thigh.

PSG then next face Barcelona at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, before travelling to Lille in Ligue 1 action on October 5.

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France forward Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which secured the Champions League title last season.

Dembele, 28, pipped Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the prize at a ceremony in Paris and succeeds Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the trophy in 2024.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona winger, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG won a French league and cup double as well as the Champions League for the first time in their history.

“I really don’t have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG,” said an emotional Dembele, who said his club coach Luis Enrique had been “like a father”.

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“It is an individual trophy, but it was really the collective that won it,” added Dembele, who was one of nine members of the triumphant PSG team from last season nominated for the prize.

“The Ballon d’Or has not really been an objective for me in my career, but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League.”

The 18-year-old Yamal, who was a teammate of Dembele’s at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, earlier won the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21 – the second year running he has taken that award.

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France coach Didier Deschamps calmed suggestions of a rift between the national team and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after the European champions were left fuming after Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue picked up injuries on international duty.

Dembele, PSG’s leading scorer last season and one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, has been ruled out for between six and eight weeks after coming off hurt in France’s 2-0 win over Ukraine in World Cup qualifying on Friday.

Doue was injured in the same game and is expected to be sidelined for a month, dealing a major blow to PSG as they prepare to begin their defence of the Champions League title.

The club wrote to the French Football Federation (FFF) on Sunday, calling for a “more transparent and collaborative coordination protocol to be put in place between clubs and national teams”.

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PSG, whose squad had a significantly shortened close-season break after going all the way to the final of the Club World Cup in July, said they had provided the FFF with “concrete” medical information about how much workload their players could withstand.

They said that their recommendations were ignored.

Deschamps insisted that the French team’s medical staff “did things in a very professional and progressive way, as we do with all the players, taking into account how each player feels”.

“Even if they are eager to play, that feeling is always a very important element for us,” added the French coach, who was speaking before Les Bleus host Iceland at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium on Tuesday.

“PSG are not our adversary, and never have been. The clubs never have been, even if our interests go in different directions, and that is normal.

“I have been on the other side of the barrier. Our only opponent is Iceland,” Deschamps said, insisting that there are always exchanges between his team and the clubs.

He used the examples of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Arsenal defender William Saliba, who picked up injuries and were told they would not need to come to the French team’s training base for further assessment despite having being called up.

“I am not going to make them come when we are perfectly aware it’s not possible, because our doctor was sent the images from their scans,” said the coach.

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Manchester City confirmed the signing of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday after selling the long-serving Ederson to Fenerbahce.

Donnarumma, 26, has penned a five-year deal at the Etihad for a reported fee of £26 million ($35 million).

Donnarumma, who will wear the 99 shirt, was an integral part of the PSG team that won the Champions League last season and was in goal for Italy when they won Euro 2020.

But his omission from PSG’s Super Cup squad made it clear he was surplus to requirements in Paris after the club signed Lucas Chevalier from Lille.

“To have signed for Manchester City is such a special and proud moment for me,” said Donnarumma, whose signing was announced a day after the summer transfer window closed.

“I am joining a squad packed with world-class talent and a team led by one of the greatest managers in the history of football, Pep Guardiola. This is a club every player in world football would love to join.”

Donnarumma, who stands 1.96 metres (six feet, five inches) tall, started his career at AC Milan, where he made his debut as a 16-year-old, before signing for PSG in 2021.

He has made 412 club appearances and won 74 international caps.

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City’s director of football Hugo Viana said Donnarumma’s arrival was a huge boost for the club, who have started the season poorly.

“Gianluigi’s pedigree, quality, and record speak for themselves, and we are all absolutely thrilled he has joined us here at City,” he said.

“He has accumulated a wealth of top-level experience and knows what is required to achieve success on a sustained level.”

City called the departing Ederson, signed by Fenerbahce for a reported fee of about £12 million, “one of the most successful players in the club’s history”.

With his superb distribution, the Brazilian goalkeeper was instrumental to Guardiola’s possession-based philosophy, but there were growing doubts last season about his shot-stopping.

“You helped us make history,” City posted on social media on Tuesday, with pictures of Ederson celebrating trophies, including the Champions League in 2023.

Ederson, 32, also won six Premier League titles and two FA Cups and kept 122 clean sheets in 276 league appearances.

“I arrived in Manchester eight years ago full of hope, but I could not have predicted such a beautiful time together,” said the goalkeeper, who made 372 appearances in all competitions for the club.

“Playing for City has been the most special time of my life and I will always be a fan of this special club,” he added.

“I’m going with my wife and children, but I’m leaving a big family here.”

City also brought in Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford during the transfer window, but the Englishman has failed to convince so far.

The club have also confirmed the exit of Swiss defender Manuel Akanji to Inter Milan on a season-long loan.

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European champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) said on Tuesday they have signed Ukrainian centre-back Illia Zabarnyi from Premier League club Bournemouth.

British media reports said the deal was worth around £57 million ($76.7 million, 66 million euros).

“Paris Saint-Germain are excited to welcome Illia Zabarnyi,” PSG said in a statement, adding he would be the first Ukrainian ever to play for the club.

The arrival of Zabarnyi, 22, could jeopardise the place of Brazilian stalwart Marquinhos in the starting lineup.

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Zabarnyi had an impressive 2024-2025 season in England when Bournemouth finished ninth, and the club’s supporters voted him their player of the season in the previous campaign.

Bournemouth have now sold three of their first-choice defensive lineup from last season after Milos Kerkez moved to Premier League champions Liverpool and Dean Huijsen was transferred to Real Madrid.

Qatar-owned PSG, who thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League for the first time in May, also signed highly-rated Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier last Saturday, a move that appears to herald the possible departure of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Italian international ‘keeper has reportedly not been selected in the squad for Wednesday’s European Super Cup final against Europa League winners Tottenham in Italy.

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