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Mbappe insists he 'never asked to leave' PSG
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe insisted Sunday he has "never asked to leave" the Qatar-owned club in the January transfer window despite reports that he intended to seek a move as soon as possible.
"I am very happy. I have never asked to leave in January," he said after PSG's 1-0 win over Marseille, insisting that he was not "implicated directly or indirectly" in the rumours about his future that spread this week.
It is the first time the France superstar has spoken out publicly since the reports that he wished to leave first surfaced in Spain ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game against Benfica.
The rumours were later also reported by various French media.
"I didn't understand why the story came out on the day of a game. I was as shocked as everyone," Mbappe claimed.
"People can think I was involved but I wasn't at all."
However, several sources assure that the noise about Mbappe wanting to leave PSG -- despite only signing a new three-year contract in May after lengthy negotiations -- came from the entourage of the player himself.
"I was having a rest and my entourage were watching my little brother," said Mbappe, whose younger sibling Ethan plays in the PSG youth team.
"We couldn't believe it when we heard about the story."
N. Lebedew--BTZ
