Kylian Mbappé has successfully sued former club PSG for £53 million for what he claims were unpaid salary and bonuses as he wound down his contract with the French club. Mbappé left the Parisien outfit in the summer of 2024, switching to Real Madrid on a free transfer after seeing out his contract.
PSG claimed that Mbappé acted unlawfully in doing so, while also counter-suing the Frenchman after he reportedly refused to move to Saudi club Al-Hilal in a deal that would have netted the club an estimated £259 million.
Mbappé, who was looking to break a Real Madrid record for most goals scored in a calendar year at the time of the court battle – a milestone held by Cristiano Ronaldo – was looking for a payout of £231.5 million, however, the court decided to award him around a quarter of that figure instead.
Bitter Recriminations
🚨 Official: Kylian Mbappe has won the lawsuit against PSG, with judge ruling in the player’s favor. 🇫🇷
As a result, the Court of Paris have sided with the footballer and order PSG to pay around €61 million, reports RMC. pic.twitter.com/9tPnsJiEBN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 16, 2025
In the summer of 2023, Mbappé handed PSG a formal letter indicating that he wouldn’t be signing a new deal with the club when his current deal ended at the end of the 2023/24 season. It was a hammer blow to PSG, who believed that their star asset was going to pen a one-year extension with the club.
Within a couple of weeks of letter being submitted, PSG received a £259 million offer from Saudi outfit Al-Hilal for the player. Given that he had indicated he would not be signing a deal, the Parisiens accepted the bid – cashing in on their prized asset.
But the plot thickened when Mbappé refused the move, leaving PSG officials furious. A bitter fall-out ensued, with Mbappé removed from the first-team group and forced to train with the youth team. He was, eventually, restored to the main squad.
After leaving for Madrid, Mbappé filed legal papers with a French court, claiming that PSG had failed to pay his wages and agreed bonuses amidst the recriminations. He also cited ill treatment, with damages of up to £231.5 million sought.
It was claimed in court that Mbappé had waived his right to the bonus payments – something the player denied. There was no concrete evidence submitted that confirmed Mbappé had waived his payments, however, the court rejected the player’s assertion that PSG were guilty of ‘harassment’ and breaches of an employer’s duty of care.
And so he was paid a fraction of his target amount; a still rather handsome £53 million. PSG can appeal the decision, with a spokesperson revealing that ‘[we] take note of the ruling handed down by the Paris labour court, which it will comply with, while reserving the right to appeal.’
Counter Sue
As Mbappé’s legal team put his case together, the counsel of PSG also began to consider the options. They have been trying to counter-sue Mbappé for £211 million, claiming that his refusal to join Al-Hilal was a cause of a commercial ‘loss of opportunity’, with the amount stated considered to be a fair reparation.
The French club also accused Mbappé of being ‘disloyal’, by effectively keeping his decision to run down his contract a secret from them – just a year after they handed him a new deal that made him the highest paid footballer on the planet.
As part of that contract, it was alleged by PSG that Mbappé would be subject to a pay cut if he decided to leave the club on a free at its conclusion. By not telling them of his decision to leave in advance, PSG claim that Mbappé breached his contractual obligation. But their arguments went unheeded in the Paris court battle.
Can a Football Club Sue a Player If They Refuse a Transfer?
It’s a legal case that has raised an interesting question: if a player refuses a transfer, can their parent club sue them for compensation to cover the lost revenue? The answer, for the most part, is no. A player is under no obligation to agreed to a transfer, nor do they even have to meet with an interested buyer to discuss a contract – Mbappé didn’t even speak to Al-Hilal, such was his lack of interest.
Clubs can, instead, make life rather difficult for the individual by refusing to play them – resulting in a loss of fitness and attractiveness in the eyes of potential suitors – and banishing them to train with fringe players or the youth team.
So it can be in the interests of the player not to refuse a move, but if they don’t want to move to a new country or take a pay cut, as two examples, then they aren’t legally obliged to do so. Sometimes, clubs can be creative in facilitating a transfer for a player that doesn’t really fancy the move.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Back in 2012, Tottenham wanted to sign Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor, although the striker himself was not keen on the transfer. Spurs couldn’t afford his wages, while Adebayor – as is his right – did not want to take a pay cut. So City stepped up to the plate and agreed to subsidise part of the Togolese frontman’s contract, paying him £95,000 a week – on top of the £80,000 stumped up by Tottenham – to ensure he didn’t miss out on a penny of his exorbitant £175,000 weekly wage.
Andy Carroll
But clubs can pressurise their players into making moves that they did not necessarily want. In 2011, Andy Carroll insists he did not want to leave his beloved Newcastle United for a transfer to Liverpool, but that the Magpies pleaded with him to go so that they could bank a much needed £35 million. Carroll didn’t have to make the move, but agreed to almost as a favour to his boyhood heroes – although secretly, he later revealed, he hoped to fail the medical as part of the transfer.
Jaap Stam
A similar scenario had unfolded a decade earlier at Manchester United, when Jaap Stam – having published a controversial autobiography that belittled some of his teammates at Old Trafford – was sold to Lazio. Stam point blank did not want the move, but was told in no uncertain terms by Sir Alex Ferguson that he would be left to rot in the reserves if he didn’t leave for Italy.
