PSG ordered to pay Mbappe 60m euros

Paris St-Germain have been ordered to pay former striker Kylian Mbappe 60m euros (£52.5m) in unpaid salary and bonuses by a French court.

Mbappe had been seeking 263m euros (£231.5m) from his former club after the long-running dispute reached a Paris labour court in November.

The European champions were counter-suing the France captain for 240m euros (£211m).

The 26-year-old Real Madrid forward claimed the nine-figure sum as damages in response to a contract dispute and ill-treatment by the club.

However, he was awarded just over a fifth of that amount in court on Tuesday.

The court recognised that PSG had failed to pay three months of his salary between April and June 2024 as well as an ethics bonus and a signing bonus under his contract.

It is believed that the majority of the money awarded to Mbappe was bonuses, rather than his salary.

In May, a 55m euro sum in the club’s accounts was frozen following a request by Mbappe’s legal team.

“We are satisfied with this ruling. This is what you could expect when salaries went unpaid,” Mbappe’s lawyer Frederique Cassereau said.

In a statement, Mbappe’s legal team added: “This judgement confirms that commitments entered into must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone.

“Mr Mbappe, for his part, scrupulously respected his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years, right up to the final day.”

While accepting the court’s ruling, PSG haven’t ruled out appealing against the decision.

The club had been seeking compensation for Mbappe’s failed 300m euro transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in 2023.

He joined Spanish giants Real Madrid on a free transfer the following summer.

The club’s statement read: “Paris St-Germain takes note of the judgement pronounced by the Paris Labour Court, which it will execute, while reserving the right to appeal.

“Paris St-Germain has always acted in good faith and with integrity, and will continue to do so. The club is now looking to the future, based on unity and collective success, and wishes the player the best for the rest of his career.”

Mbappe’s decision not to move to the Saudi Pro League, coupled with his refusal to sign a contract extension, sparked a dispute lasting more than two years, with the forward believing he was sidelined by the French champions.

He was not invited to take part in the club’s pre-season tour of Asia and missed their first match of the 2023-24 campaign.

He was later reinstated to the side – a decision PSG said followed Mbappe’s agreement to forgo some of his end-of-contract payments to protect the club’s financial health.

However, Mbappe’s representatives dismissed the claim as “fantasy” at November’s hearing.

PSG also accused the player of acting “disloyally by concealing for nearly 11 months, between July 2022 and June 2023, his decision not to extend his contract” and said the club had suffered “significant damages” as a result of his actions.

Mbappe was at PSG from 2017 to 2024, initially on loan from Monaco and later on a permanent transfer, and won 15 trophies in the French capital.

He is PSG’s all-time leading scorer, with 256 goals in 308 games, including 44 goals in 48 matches in his final season.

Tuesday’s decision by the Paris Labour Court marks a major milestone in a protracted legal battle since Mbappe’s departure from the capital.

PSG have been ordered to transfer the equivalent of the salaries and bonuses which went unpaid at the end of the 2023-24 season. The court also rejected Mbappe’s other claims, as well as PSG’s counter-claims.

On the crux of the contention, from which the legal proceedings started, though, the court has ruled in favour of the forward.

The 61m sum chiefly consists of the third instalment of Mbappe’s signing-on bonus, his salary for the last three months of the 2023-24 season and paid leave allowance.

Les Parisiens are also required to keep the full ruling on the front page of their website for a month.

Mbappe notably looked to legally change his PSG deal to an open-ended contract and claimed ill-treatment on the part of the club, claiming 260m euros in total.

The French champions, meanwhile, argued that Mbappe had verbally agreed to forgo certain bonuses ahead of his final season at the club, after which he left on a free transfer to Real Madrid.

A counter-claim of 440m euros was notably based on a prospective move to Saudi Arabia which fell through.

PSG have announced that they will pay the sum as ordered. While leaving the door open to appeals, they have indicated a willingness to ultimately move on from the protracted legal proceedings, while pointing to their on-pitch success without the France captain.