. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old winger, he wasn't registered in time to be eligible for the Lorient clash. A teammate of Mbappe's at international level, Dembele could take his place in the PSG side, now managed by new boss Luis Enrique. "I am very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain and can't wait to play in my new colours," Dembele declared after completing his move. "I hope I can continue to grow here and make all the club's fans proud." Al-Khelaifi said that the ex){kind=link}
Kylian Mbappe has been training away from Paris Saint-Germain’s first-team throughout the summer, while Neymar wants to leave the club before the transfer window shuts
Paris Saint-Germain have left both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar out of their squad for their opening game of the season, having completed the signing of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona.
Megastars Mbappe and Neymar each face uncertain futures at the Parc des Princes, with the latter – who’s currently ruled out of action through illness – wanting to quit PSG before the summer transfer window closes and part of a five-player group being encouraged to leave by club chiefs. Midfielder Marco Verratti joins them and also isn’t in the squad to face Lorient on Saturday.
Mbappe, meanwhile, has been embroiled in a saga since the start of June, having informed PSG officials that he wouldn’t be signing a contract extension. That leaves the Frenchman on course to leave Paris for free next summer amid interest from Real Madrid, but the PSG hierarchy – headed up by furious president Nasser Al-Khelaifi – isn’t willing to let him have his way.
They’ve told Mbappe, 24, that either he must find a new club before deadline day or agree to extend his deal until 2025. That’s not how the France captain wants to play it, though, meaning that he’s still training away from the first team with a bunch of PSG outcasts nicknamed ‘The Undesirables’.