Mbappe consulted French president Macron before re-signing with PSG

Paris, May 23, 2022 (AFP) - Kylian Mbappe made the startling revelation Monday that he had talked over his potential transfer to Real Madrid with Emmanuel Macron, saying he appreciated the "good advice" of the French president, who wanted the Paris Saint-Germain star to stay in France.

World Cup winner Mbappe had for months seemed certain to sign for Real Madrid before being persuaded to sign a new three-year deal at PSG, the club he joined in 2017.

"We talked quite a bit," Mbappe said of his exchanges with Macron. "You can say that it was good advice.

"He wanted me to stay. That's part of the negotiations."

Mbappe said that Macron was one of a number of different people to whom he had talked.

"It's then that you see that football has changed and has an important place in society. It's important to also know how to stay in one's place despite the importance that can be given to me in the country."

With that in mind, Mbappe also revealed that PSG would not block him from playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Paris-born Mbappe was raised in the northeastern Parisian suburb of Bondy, part of the Seine-Saint-Denis department that is home to not only the Stade de France but also several other Olympic sites, including the Olympic Village.

There is no doubt that the potential participation of a star-quality, home-grown talent in the Summer Games would be a massive boost for organisers.

"First of all, I have to be picked," Mbappe said of the possibility of taking part in Paris 2024. "We talked about it with the club.

"The club are not against it, they are for it. There weren't any problems with regard to that in negotiations."