In reaction to Kylian Mbappe’s bumper deal with Paris Saint Germain, of FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, believes that any player who joins the French club is a ‘slave for money’.
Last weekend, Mbappe stunned the world when he decided to abandon his dream of playing for Real Madrid and extended his contract with PSG at a point most football fans thought he would switch to Madrid this summer.
Amid speculations that Mbappe has agreed to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, the 23-year-old French striker signed a contract with PSG which will earn him nothing less than $898 million in the next three years.
Since he signed the outrageous deal with the Qatari-owned club which has never been seen in the history of football, the deal has attracted a series of criticism, especially from Spanish La Liga.
In an interview with Catalan daily L’Esportiu, Joan Laporta claimed that “Players end up being prisoners of money” and that is made possible by clubs owned by a state like in the case of PSG owned by the Qatari government.
Joan Laporta who lost Lionel Messi to PSG in August 2021 due to financial complications at Barca, said Mbappe’s deal with PSG “leads you to reflect on the sustainability of football in Europe.”
Even though Laporta was not happy that PSG agreed to pay Mbappe over $898 million in a three-year deal just to play football, the Barca president is relieved that the prolific French striker did not join their Spanish rivals, Real Madrid this summer.
“A direct rival hasn’t been strengthened and for us, that’s preferable as they can’t trouble us even more on the pitch”, Laporta added.
“But there’s the issue of thinking about the game’s sustainability.”
Joan Laporta insists all PSG players are slaves for money:
Note that aside from Lionel Messi who spent over 16 years of his football career at FC Barcelona before he joined PSG on a free transfer in 2021, Barca sold Neymar to PSG for a world transfer record fee worth over €200 million. To date, no club has ever spent so much to buy one player.
Unfortunately, Neymar who has spent over six years at PSG is reportedly surplus to requirement and the French club is willing to sell him to any interested club.
When asked whether he would like to see Neymar return to FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta noted that Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and any other player signed to PSG are slaves for money.
“He (Neymar) still has four or five years on his contract”, the Barca president said. “Players who’ve joined clubs like PSG have virtually made themselves slaves for money.”
Kylian Mbappe – Road to the Round of 16 UCL
— RMAVIDS (@RMAVIDS) May 20, 2022
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