Chelsea once missed out on signing Kylian Mbappe after the Frenchman’s mother delivered an ultimatum that stunned translators, a fresh report has claimed.
Not for the first time, Mbappe enters the summer transfer window with his Paris Saint-Germain future in doubt.
Earlier this month the 24-year-old sent a letter to his employer stating that he would not be triggering the option to extend his contract beyond next season.
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Despite Mbappe insisting that he is happy in Paris, the confirmation of the attacker’s non-renewal has prompted widespread reports of his exit, with Real Madrid among the clubs reportedly interested.
Mbappe’s mother Fayza Lamari, who is among the player’s representatives, is likely to be central to any negotiations over her son’s future. Indeed, Lamari has earned a reputation as a shrewd negotiator who is unafraid to ruffle feathers.
Mbappe to Chelsea?
As detailed in the Athletic, in the summer of 2011 a 12-year-old Mbappe was starting to cause a stir AS Bondy’s youth team and was in turn invited to a trial at Chelsea.
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The young Mbappe had been recommended for a trial by Daniel Boga, who had been scouting for Chelsea since his son Jeremie joined the Blues’ academy in 2009.
Boga told the Athletic: “At the beginning, I was speaking to the dad. But then his mum came, and when that happened you could feel she was the one who controlled everything. She was the one talking to the club.
“The dad didn’t really talk. He’s very calm and relaxed. The mum is like fire — bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!
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“At the trial, he never said to his son, ‘Dribble, do this, do this.’ He might say afterwards, ‘Next time, you have to pass it.’ But the mum, next to the pitch, was like, ‘Kylian, take the ball! Take him on! Go! Shoot!’”
Boga explained that Jim Fraser, now Chelsea’s head of youth development, told Mbappe’s parents at the time that, while they were impressed by his talent, they wanted to see him more dedicated in his off-the-ball work.
Boga, acting as an interpreter, explained this to Mbappe’s parents only for Lamari to issue Chelsea with an ultimatum.
He recalled: “But then the mum said, ‘No, we won’t come again. Tell them, ‘He won’t come back. If you want to sign him, you sign him now.’ And she said, ‘In five years, you will come back for him for £50million.’ She said (to me), ‘Translate that!’
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“I couldn’t say that; it’s too arrogant to say something like this, so I didn’t translate it. I just said to Jim, ‘I don’t think they will come back, so you have to make a decision now.’”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/MarcaTopics: Football, Transfers, Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea