Luis Enrique explains why he left Kylian Mbappe on the bench against Nantes

Luis Enrique is in a very tough spot at PSG. All signs point at Kylian Mbappe leaving next summer to sign with Real Madrid, but, at the same time, the French club cannot give up in their fight to win the Champions League and Ligue 1.

That’s why, these four months could be very complicated to handle. Right now, in the European competition, Paris Saint-Germain took a huge 2-0 lead over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Round of 16. Meanwhile, they have the league almost secured with a 14-point difference over Nice.

This Saturday, Luis Enrique made a decision which shocked the soccer world by leaving Kylian Mbappe on the bench for the game against Nantes. Many people saw that as a ‘punishment’ for the Real Madrid talks.

Kylian Mbappe wasn’t a starter at Nantes (Getty Images)

Luis Enrique clarifies Kylian Mbappe’s situation

After a 2-0 victory at Nantes, Luis Enrique explained what happened with Kylian Mbappe. It was merely a tactical decision as they had just played an exhausting game against Real Sociedad in the Champions League.

“It’s ok that all players are involved. With Mbappe, we understand each other very well. There is no problem. Coming to this stadium, with an incredible atmosphere after a tough Champions League match, we tried to rotate the team. Some have been able to get a few minutes.”

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Luis Enrique takes a subtle shot at Kylian Mbappe for leaving PSG

What will be the next team of Kylian Mbappe?

Although there hasn’t been an official announcement, many reports have confirmed Kylian Mbappe just made a final decision. He will sign with Real Madrid next summer.

It’s important to remember that Mbappe is a free agent, so there will be no transfer fee for PSG. A massive blow for the project of Nasser Al-Khelaifi. However, Kylian might ‘forgive’ the money he would earn through some fidelity clauses and that would open the door for Paris Saint-Germain to sign replacements such as Rafael Leao or Victor Osimhen.