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Report: Mbappe tells PSG he intends to leave next summer

French superstar Kylian Mbappe informed Paris Saint-Germain in a letter on Monday that he intends to decline the one-year player option in his contract and leave the club as a free agent when it expires in June 2024, a source told The New York Times’ Tariq Panja.

The surprising development raises the possibility of the club selling him as soon as this summer.

PSG are adamant they won’t lose the 24-year-old for nothing next year, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports, leaving them with no choice but to sell him in the coming months if they can’t reach a swift agreement over a new and improved contract.

The one-year option would have extended his stay until June 2025.

PSG had spent the past few months negotiating a new contract for Mbappe, according to Panja. Their bargaining position is considerably weaker, given clubs know they can sign the World Cup winner next summer without paying a transfer fee.

The letter – which French media reportedly obtained before the club itself – contained written notice of Mbappe’s decision. He had until July 31 to take up the option.

PSG almost lost their star striker on a free transfer to Real Madrid last summer following the expiration of his previous deal. With the help of French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged Mbappe in a private call to stay, PSG managed to tie him down for another two years. The club reportedly agreed to pay Mbappe around $25 million annually on top of the $125-million signing bonus he received upfront.

Now, PSG will have to sweeten the pot even more if they hope to keep him long term.

Monday’s report could encourage Madrid to make another bid for Mbappe in the upcoming transfer window, which opens in France on July 1 and in Spain on July 3. Madrid are looking for a striker to replace 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who recently left the club for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad.

PSG paid AS Monaco a reported $216 million to sign Mbappe in a permanent deal in 2018. He’s since become Les Parisiens’ all-time leading scorer with 212 goals in 260 appearances.

NFL

Emboldened by Aaron Rodgers, confident Jets ready to silence doubters

  • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterJun 11, 2023, 06:00 AM ET

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      Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Super talk: From the moment he arrived in 2019, linebacker C.J. Mosley has been on a mission to change the way the Jets are perceived around the league — i.e. a lack of respect from opponents. Remember the blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, when Mosley ranted about how the Eagles were laughing at them?

That narrative has flipped, according to Mosley, who now believes the Jets have a target on their backs.

“That’s exactly what we want,” he said. “We want people to give us everything they have. We want to go to other people’s stadium and hear every single thing they have to say so we can shut them up after the game is over. That’s what it’s going to take to win a Super Bowl. That’s what it’s going to take to grow as a team.”

If Mosley’s perception is accurate, it’s because of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose presence has raised outside expectations and the confidence level within the locker room.

Taking a cue from Rodgers, who talked in his introductory news conference about adding another Lombardi Trophy to the “lonely” Lombardi from Super Bowl III in the team showcase, players haven’t been bashful about expressing their opinions about the team’s potential. They haven’t had this kind of bravado since the Rex Ryan days. Even low-key guard Laken Tomlinson joined the hype parade, saying, “If we’re blessed with some health this year, we’re going to be a scary team.”

Can one player in a 90-man locker room really make that much of a difference? That question was posed to a couple of players, and they both replied with a smile and quick “yes.”

Mosley has no problem with the newfound confidence. After all, if the Jets don’t believe in themselves, how can they expect others to take them seriously?

With Aaron Rodgers in fold, expectations for the Jets from both inside and outside the building have skyrocketed. Rich Schultz/Getty Images

2. Thinking big: Defensive end

  • Left tackle. Saleh all but handed the job to Duane Brown, saying the 15-year veteran will be “hard to push out the door.” What makes it compelling, though, is Mekhi Becton’s stated preference to play left tackle, not right tackle. But it could be right tackle or left out for Becton.

  • Right tackle. If it’s not the talented but injury-prone Becton, keep an eye on journeyman Billy Turner, a Nathaniel Hackett fave. The offensive coordinator coached him in Green Bay, brought him to Denver and now New York. Max Mitchell also is lurking.

  • Center. It’s Joe Tippmann’s job to win. The second-round pick will be in there as soon as he convinces the coaches (and, perhaps more importantly, Rodgers) he can handle the cerebral aspect of the job. Until then, it will be incumbent Connor McGovern or Wes Schweitzer, who got a lot of reps in OTA practices.

  • Strongside linebacker. This was Kwon Alexander’s job last season, but he remains unsigned. Third-year linebacker Jamien Sherwood, who also backs up Mosley in the middle, is the front-runner after getting the bulk of the offseason reps.

    • 4. Busy summer: Aside from having an extra preseason game (Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3), the Jets will have joint practices with the Carolina Panthers (away) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 games with those teams, respectively. They’re still trying to firm up details with the Carolina practices.

    The joint practices will serve as an important tuneup for Rodgers, who typically doesn’t play in the preseason. His last appearance was 2018, when he played five snaps in the Packers’ second preseason game. Get ready to see a lot of backup Zach Wilson in August.

    Best of NFL Nation

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    Soccer

    Seeds confirmed for 2023-24 Champions League group stage draw

    Seeding for the 2023-24 Champions League season was finalized after Manchester City’s victory over Inter Milan in Saturday’s final.

    Manchester City and Sevilla were placed in Pot 1 as winners of the Champions League and Europa League, respectively, while the remaining places were awarded to the winners of the top six leagues in Europe.

    However, with City winning the Champions League and the Premier League this past season, Feyenoord were placed in Pot 1 as a result of the Eredivisie champion being moved up from Pot 3 to fill the vacant top-seeded spot that was reserved for the champions of England’s top flight.

    The second pot is particularly interesting, as it features five teams who have previously won the Champions League. It includes 14-time winners Real Madrid and two three-time winners in Manchester United and Inter.

    The remaining pots are comprised of teams based on UEFA’s coefficient score. The last two pots have vacancies that’ll be filled after the qualifying stage is complete.

    The preliminary round of Champions League qualifying begins June 27 and is scheduled to finish Aug. 30. A day later, the group stage draw takes place, with one team from each pot being placed into a group of four.

    The Champions League group stage kicks off Sept. 19.

    Pot 1

    Manchester City (England), Sevilla (Spain), Barcelona (Spain), Napoli (Italy), Bayern Munich (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Benfica (Portugal), Feyenoord (Netherlands)

    Pot 2

    Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester United (England), Inter Milan (Italy), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Atletico Madrid (Spain), RB Leipzig (Germany), FC Porto (Portugal), Arsenal (England)

    Pot 3

    Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), FC Salzburg (Austria), AC Milan (Italy), Lazio (Italy), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)

    Pot 4

    Celtic (Scotland), Newcastle United (England), Union Berlin (Germany), Lens (France)

    Soccer

    Manchester City win 1st Champions League title to complete historic treble

    Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 on Saturday to capture their first Champions League title and complete their quest to win a historic treble.

    Rodri’s second-half goal was the difference in the tightly contested match, as the Spanish midfielder broke the deadlock in the 68th minute with an unstoppable strike inside the Inter box.

    In conquering Europe, Manchester City became the 10th different team – and eighth different club – to claim a continental treble after winning the Premier League and FA Cup earlier this season.

    “I’m emotional, it’s a dream come true. All these guys (the fans) around here waiting 20, 30, 40 years,” Rodri told BT Sport after the match. “I’ve been here just four years but we deserve it. We were so close these last years but when you go to semifinals, finals, finally God gives you this present … It’s a dream for all of us.”

    Manchester City didn’t have a straightforward path to immortality.

    Inter played inspiring football in their attempt to produce an unlikely win against a heavily favored Manchester City side at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

    The Italians continuously disrupted City’s attempts to find a rhythm throughout the contest and employed an aggressive attacking scheme despite the threat posed by their opponents on the counter.

    Though chances were few and far between in the opening 25 minutes, Ederson didn’t do his defense any favors after multiple gaffes invited pressure against City that Inter ultimately failed to capitalize on.

    Erling Haaland came close to scoring with a close-range effort that Andre Onana saved before Manchester City suffered an injury blow at the half-hour mark. Star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne tried to play through a hamstring problem, but was replaced minutes later by Phil Foden.

    After halftime, both sides continued to press for the opening goal. Inter came close after a miscommunication between Manuel Akanji and Ederson almost gifted a goal to Lautaro Martinez, whose shot from a tight angle was saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper.

    With the prospect of extra time on the horizon, Manchester City struck with just over 20 minutes remaining. Akanji’s through ball to Bernardo Silva led to a cut-back that was deflected into the path of Rodri, who unleashed a powerful strike into the Inter goal before celebrating wildly with teammates.

    Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto / Getty Images Sport / Getty

    An urgent Inter Milan tried desperately to score an equalizer after Rodri’s goal, with Romelu Lukaku coming agonizingly close in the 88th minute with a header from six yards that Ederson saved with his knee on the goal line.

    The Manchester City goalkeeper was called into action again in injury time, making an important finger-tip save to maintain his team’s advantage seconds before the final whistle.

    Rodri was named Man of the Match. Erling Haaland, who had 52 goals in all competitions this season, was held scoreless for the fifth game in a row to end his record-breaking first season at City.

    Pep Guardiola now joins a select group of managers to win the Champions League title three times. Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, and Zinedine Zidane are the only other men’s coaches to accomplish the feat. The Spaniard also became the first men’s head coach to win multiple trebles in his career, having previously done so with Barcelona.

    “We managed to win in Europe – suffering, but it’s normal. Sometimes you need this luck that we didn’t have in the past,” Guardiola said.

    “This competition is a coin. It was written in the stars.”

    Manchester City are the first English team to win such a treble since Manchester United in 1999.

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