PSG counter-sue Mbappe, demands $109M in damages

By Hoang An May 14, 2025 | 11:53 pm PT

Kylian Mbappe celebrates a goal during Real Madrid's win over Celta Vigo in La Liga on May 4, 2025 at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Reuters

Paris Saint-Germain have filed a counter-claim against Kylian Mbappe, seeking $109 million in compensation for alleged financial losses, escalating the ongoing legal dispute between the club and its former star.

The legal battle began on April 11, when Mbappe filed a lawsuit at the Paris Civil Court demanding $60 million in unpaid salary and bonuses. His lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, also requested that the court freeze a portion of PSG's assets equivalent to the claimed amount pending a final judgment.

However, French media reported this week that PSG have rejected the claim and filed an appeal against the initial court ruling requiring them to pay Mbappe. In response, the club submitted a counter-lawsuit demanding $109 million, arguing that Mbappe's actions had negatively impacted PSG's financial situation, RMC Sport reported.

PSG reportedly do not expect to recover any money from Mbappe. Instead, the club aim to demonstrate that Mbappe's demands are unreasonable and that he should, in fact, owe the club.

"Our goal is not to recover the 98 million euros, but to prove that if he owes us money, his claim is unfounded," PSG representative lawyer Renault-Semmeljian told AFP.

PSG also claimed that the case should have been filed with the Paris Labor Court, the only legal body they argue is competent to handle such disputes.

Before the case reached the court, the French professional football league LFP acknowledged that PSG owed Mbappe certain payments. However, the league lacks the authority to enforce payment. The LFP can only refer the matter to UEFA, which could punish PSG if necessary.

Mbappe initially joined PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017 before completing a permanent transfer move worth $200 million in 2018, making him the second most expensive player in history after Neymar ($263 million). Over seven seasons in Paris, he scored a club-record 256 goals and won 15 trophies.

In summer 2024, Mbappe declined to renew his contract and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer, marking a dramatic turn in his relationship with PSG. Though he left in search of Champions League glory, Mbappe now faces the possibility of ending his first season in Madrid without a major title, while PSG are set to face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on May 31, with a chance to win the title for the first time in the club's history.