Our wish is that he stays at PSG for several years: Coach Mauricio Pochettino on Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe’s
contract
runs
out
in
June
and
since
the
start
of
January,
he
has
been
a
free
agent,
meaning
he
can
leave
for
nothing
at
the
end
of
the
season.
“The
club
knows
his
situation,
our
wish
is
that
he
stays
at
the
club
for
several
years,”
Pochettino
said
Sunday
at
a
pre-game
news
conference
ahead
of
Monday’s
French
Cup
game
at
third-tier
Vannes.

“We
hope
that
Kylian
continues
to
be
just
as
efficient
and
that
it’s
a
favourable
outcome
for
everyone.”
Last
summer,
PSG
withstood
an
aggressive
bid
from
Real
Madrid
reported
to
be
around
200
million
euros
($227
million)
for
Mbappe,
who
starred
for
victorious
France
at
the
2018
World
Cup.

PSG’s
sporting
director
Leonardo
said
Mbappe
wanted
to
leave,
but
the
move
eventually
fell
through
as
Madrid
backed
away.
Mbappe
has
easily
been
French
league
leader
PSG’s
best
player
this
season,
notching
nine
goals
and
eight
assists
in
the
league
and
scoring
four
goals
in
the
Champions
League
for
a
total
of
15
goals
in
24
games
in
all
competitions.
His
PSG
tally
has
risen
to
a
prolific
126
in
151
games
since
joining
along
with
Neymar
in
the
summer
of
2017
in
a
deal
worth
180
million
euros
($205
million).
He
had
his
best
season
in
the
last
campaign
with
42
goals
overall.
Although
Mbappe
failed
to
score
at
the
European
Championship
last
summer,
he
has
since
shone
for
France
by
scoring
the
winner
in
the
Nations
League
final
against
Spain.
Karim
Benzema
scored
the
other
goal
in
a
2-1
win
with
a
magnificent
curling
strike.
It
was
in
those
games
and
subsequent
matches
that
Mbappe’s
electric
partnership
with
the
Real
Madrid
star
Benzema
really
caught
the
eye.
Mbappe
scored
four
times
in
an
8-0
rout
of
Kazakhstan
in
November.
They
have
combined
superbly
in
recent
internationals
and
pairing
Benzema
–
who
has
299
goals
overall
for
Spanish
league
leader
Madrid
–
with
Mbappe
would
be
a
tantalizing
prospect.
Pochettino
understands
that
talk
of
such
a
move
could
prove
unsettling,
but
that
Mbappe
remains
fully
focused.
“Such
a
situation
can
affect
you
if
you
don’t
have
enough
maturity,”
Pochettino
said.
“But
Kylian
has
it.”
Meanwhile,
Pochettino
is
uncertain
when
Lionel
Messi
will
be
available
to
play
after
the
Argentine
star
tested
positive
for
the
coronavirus
back
home.
Three
other
PSG
players
and
one
staff
member
also
had
COVID-19,
the
club
said.
Neymar
will
remain
in
Brazil
until
Jan.
9
as
he
recovers
from
an
ankle
injury
in
late
November.
The
club
said
Sunday
that
the
222-million
euro
($253-million)
world
record
signing
is
expected
to
resume
training
in
around
three
weeks’ time.
PSG
resumes
its
bid
to
wrestle
the
title
back
from
Lille
when
it
visits
Lyon
next
Sunday,
as
league
play
restarts
following
a
winter
break.