December 17 – Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay more than €60 million to former player Kylian Mbappé after a Paris labour court ruled in the France striker’s favour, taking the final step in a long-running dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses linked to the final months of his contract.
The judgement, delivered by the Conseil de prud’hommes, relates to salary and bonus payments for April, May and June 2024, shortly before Mbappé completed his long-anticipated move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
PSG had contested the claim and countered by seeking €440 million in damages, arguing the club suffered a significant financial loss when the France captain declined to extend his contract and left without a transfer fee.
The court rejected PSG’s position, siding with Mbappé and reinforcing the application of labour law within elite football.
In a statement, the player’s representatives said the ruling “restores a simple truth: commitments must be honoured,” adding that the decision underlined that professional football clubs are not exempt from standard employment obligations.
PSG confirmed they would comply with the ruling but indicated an appeal is likely.
The dispute stems from the breakdown in relations during the 2023-24 season, after Mbappé informed the club he would not trigger an option to extend his contract beyond June 2024.
The French Champions argued the decision deprived them of the opportunity to secure a major transfer fee, citing a reported €300 million bid from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal that was turned down the previous summer – though the player would never accept a transfer to the SPL at this stage in his career, especially with dream outfit Real Madrid already knocking on his door.
PSG’s case was founded around an alleged agreement dated August 2023 in which Mbappé would waive certain payments if he left on a free transfer – a claim his legal team strongly denied and the courts also eventually ruled against.
Mbappé’s advisers said no evidence of such an agreement was ever produced and maintained that the player met all sporting and contractual obligations until the end of his deal.
A further factor hanging over the case is the broader legal shift triggered by the Diarra ruling, which has reinforced the primacy of employment law over football’s internal arrangements.
Last year, the European Court of Justice found in favour of former France international Lassana Diarra, concluding that elements of FIFA’s transfer and compensation system unlawfully restricted a player’s freedom of movement.
While the Paris labour court did not explicitly cite the judgment, its reasoning sits comfortably alongside it. PSG’s attempt to frame Mbappé’s departure as a financial “loss of opportunity”, or to rely on an alleged side agreement designed to protect transfer value, runs into the same problem exposed by Diarra: once a contract reaches its agreed end date, a player cannot be penalised for exercising that right.
In that context, the ruling underlines a growing reality for clubs across Europe – that sporting considerations and balance-sheet concerns cannot override basic labour protections, even at the very top of the game.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]