Kylian Mbappe and PSG demanding over £200m from each other as wages dispute escalates | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe’s legal dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain has escalated after both parties made colossal financial demands in a Paris labour court on Monday.

The France captain and his ex-employers are at odds over alleged unpaid wages. Mbappe, who did not attend the hearing, previously claimed he was owed €55m (£48.4m) by the current Champions League holders.

The 26-year-old now demands €263m (£231.5m from the club), arguing that PSG owe him that money because his fixed-term contract should be reclassified as a permanent one. Such a reclassification would trigger compensation for unfair dismissal, unpaid wages, bonuses, and severance.

He also claims damages for moral harassment, undeclared work, and breaches of PSG's duty of good faith and safety towards him.

"Kylian Mbappe is not asking for anything beyond what the law provides; he is simply seeking the enforcement of his legal rights, as any employee would," Mbappe’s lawyers said in a statement.

PSG, meanwhile, is seeking €240m (£211m) in compensation, including €180m (£158.5m) for a “loss of opportunity” from Mbappe’s failed €300m (£176.1m) move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in January. The striker ended up joining Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.

PSG said in a statement it also wants compensation for breaches of good faith in both negotiations and contract performance, as well as reputational and image damage.

A decision from the court is expected next month.

PSG argued that when Mbappe was sidelined before the 2023/24 season — following his decision not to extend his contract — there was a verbal agreement with him opting to relinquish bonuses in order to return to the team.

"Before the court, the club presented evidence showing that the player acted disloyally by concealing for nearly eleven months, between July 2022 and June 2023, his decision not to extend his contract, thereby depriving the club of any possibility of arranging a transfer," PSG said in a statement.

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Kylian Mbappe has been hit with an eye-watering counter-claim by PSG (AP)

"The player then challenged an agreement concluded with the club in August 2023, which provided for a reduction in salary should he decide to leave on a free transfer, in order to preserve the club's financial stability following the exceptional investment made."

Mbappe's camp replied that PSG never produced any evidence of an agreement to waive these payments.

When he accused PSG of moral harassment, Mbappe denounced the “lofting” he claimed to have been subjected to at the club. The word lofting is used in France to describe a practice that involves isolating a player from the main squad for sporting, administrative, or disciplinary reasons.

Mbappe was indeed unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when he was sidelined ahead of the 2023/24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.

Mbappe scored a club-record 256 goals and won six league titles in seven years at PSG before leaving for the Santiago Bernabeu. He went trophyless in his first season with Real Madrid last term, watching PSG go on to win their first ever Champions League title.