Kylian Mbappe Eyes Huge Windfall After Triumphant Court Battle With PSG

PSG’s attempt to counter-sue Mbappé for €440 million was dismissed in its entirety.

Kylian Mbappé has been locked in a legal dispute with PSG since leaving the club. / David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid/Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay Kylian Mbappé more than €60 million ($70.5 million) after a French labor court ruled that the capital club had unfairly withheld three months of wages and a third of a loyalty bonus.

Mbappé has been embroiled in an unseemly legal battle with the French champions since leaving PSG for Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2024. The source of this turmoil stems from when Mbappé informed PSG in June 2023 that he would not trigger the one-year extension option in his contract, ensuring that he could move on without the need of a transfer fee.

PSG were surprised by this development—the club were so confident he would stay for at least three years they presented the star forward with a shirt which read ‘2025’ upon the announcement of his contract extension—and tried to secure a move for Mbappé in 2023 to avoid losing him for free.

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The France captain reportedly turned down a €300 million move to Saudi Pro League giant Al Hilal and was subsequently demoted to the “loft,” the French expression for a group of players shunned from the first team setup. Mbappé was not invited on the club’s preseason tour and found himself dropped for the first fixture of the season.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi (left) was not always at odds with Kylian Mbappé. / Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

An uneasy compromise was eventually brokered to bring Mbappé back into the team—he promptly scored 44 goals in 48 appearances that season—but the nature of this pact has been the bedrock to PSG’s argument. The club claim that the player had agreed to relinquish his bonuses to smooth his reintegration.

“As a matter of law and fact, the player has made clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven years in Paris,” PSG declared when the case was first overseen by the French league’s legal commission in September 2024.

That governing body ruled in favor of Mbappé, demanding that PSG pay the €55 million that had been withheld since April 2024. As Mbappé’s lawyer Delphine Verheyden outlined: “They have not shown any evidence of any agreement.” PSG swiftly appealed the decision, which was once again upheld by the same body in October 2024, and demanded this “fantastic story from a parallel universe” be taken to French labor court.

In April of this year, with their client yet to receive any of the funds he was owed, Mbappé’s legal team did just that. “A decision has been taken, this time to go on the attack,” Verheyden declared.

The case threatened to spiral out of control when Mbappé upped his demand from €55 million to €260 million, citing unfair dismissal and moral damage. PSG counter-sued their former player to the tune of €440 million, accusing Mbappé of breaching “good faith” and inflicting image damage on the club.

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Mbappe’s Lawyers Take Parting Shot at PSG

Mbappé is closing in on France’s all-time scoring record. / Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

The French labor court dismissed some of Mbappé’s claims of “moral harassment” but still ruled that the club owed him €61 million to cover three months of his salary, an ethics bonus and a signing bonus.

PSG’s claims were entirely dismissed as there was no proof of a written agreement with Mbappé to waive his bonuses.

“This ruling confirms that commitments made must be honored. It reaffirms a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labor law applies to everyone,” a press release from Mbappé’s lawyers, Verheyden and Frédérique Cassereau read.

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“Mr. Mbappé, for his part, scrupulously respected his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years, right up to the last day. He did everything he could to avoid a dispute, even withdrawing a harassment complaint in the interest of appeasement. In total, he had been requesting payment of his wages and bonuses for over 18 months.”

Cassereau and Verheyden told assembled media upon the conclusion of the case on Tuesday: “The club indicated that it didn’t want to pay because it was awaiting a decision from the labor court. That decision is now in place.

“Furthermore, the court has ordered provisional enforcement, which means that PSG must pay immediately. Football is not a lawless zone. I hope that PSG will be able to comply voluntarily, without having to go through a bailiff; that would be gracious.”

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