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Kylian Mbappe told Perez he was staying at PSG in leaked WhatsApp message

Published 12:20 22 May 2022 BST

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Mbappe informed Perez of his decision to stay in Paris on WhatsApp

So there you have it. Kylian Mbappe, after months and months of intense speculation, is staying put at Paris Saint-Germain, rejecting the chance to join Real Madrid. The news that PSG has persuaded him to remain with the club has clearly ruffled a few feathers in Spain, with confirmation of his contract extension swiftly followed by a statement from La Liga. Florentino Perez, too, will likely not have taken the news well. The Real president has long eyed a move for Mbappe and, as recently as a few days ago, appeared set to get his man. PSG weren't willing to let Mbappe go without a fight though, reportedly tabling a scarcely believable offer to keep him at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe message to Perez

Having signed a lucrative three-year extension, it has now been revealed that Mbappe sent Perez a WhatsApp message to inform him that he had would reject the Spanish champions. 'Mr Florentino, I inform you that have decided to stay at PSG,' the message said, according to El Chiringuito, per A Bola. 'I want to thank you for the opportunity to play for Real Madrid, the club I’ve been a fan of since I was little. I hope you are understanding with my decision and I wish you the best of luck in the Champions League final.'

Real 'shocked' by Mbappe's rejection

The message is said to have been met with shock at the Bernabeu, with senior figures there - Perez included - believing Mbappe had agreed to join the club. Real had already abandoned a pursuit of Erling Haaland to focus on Mbappe. With the Norwegian now set for Manchester City, the rejection from the 23-year-old will be especially hard to take. Mbappe marked his new deal by scoring a hat-trick in PSG's final home game of the season against Metz on Saturday night - just to rub that little bit more salt into the wounds.