Mbappé assures that staying has been the most difficult decision of his life 4:05
(CNN) --
After managing to retain his star player at a time when it seemed clear he would sign with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has promised "many changes" to "create a new was" at the club.
Even a couple of weeks ago, it seemed highly unlikely that Kylian Mbappé would remain in the French capital.
From the images and videos in which he was seen having dinner in Madrid, his signing for Real began to seem inevitable.
After a tumultuous season in which PSG only won the Ligue 1 title - a trophy sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted was "not enough" for the club's ambitions - and came crashing down in impressive fashion once again in the Champions League, it would have been difficult to imagine a bright future for the French team if Mbappe had left.
Kylian Mbappe says playing football became his "refuge" as he struggled with a "tough decision" before signing his contract extension with PSG
Even with Lionel Messi and Neymar in PSG's ranks, there is no doubt that Mbappe is the club's most prized asset, both on the pitch and financially.
There is a sense of relief in the Parc des Princes that PSG have been able to convince their young superstar to sign a new three-year contract, but Al-Khelaifi insists there is still much work to be done during summer.
The PSG president told CNN's Amanda Davies in Paris: "Surely there will be a lot of changes."
"We're going to announce it probably [at] the end of the week."
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These words will sound especially unsettling to Pochettino and PSG sporting director Leonardo, as there is speculation about their future at the Parisian club.
When asked if there would be a new coach on the bench, Al-Khelaifi replied: "We want to create a new era for Paris Saint-Germain; a new project, fresh air. I think it is very important that everyone is motivated again." ".
This was how Kylian Mbappé confirmed that he is staying at PSG
"The defeat in the Champions League was not easy, for which I take responsibility," Al-Khelaifi added, referring to the quarter-final loss to Real Madrid, despite PSG dominating both games. the tie.
"I am the president and I am responsible, but everything can happen and everything will happen in the future. I am not blaming anyone, who stays or leaves, I am one of the first responsible with anything, for the results."
"So I'm not blaming anyone and this is really important to me, but in the end, you know, we have to choose. We have to make decisions.
"We'll take some of them, some of them will come soon and I think really what we want to basically get [is] to be stronger than last season, and that's the only goal I want, to be bigger than last season."
Mbappé celebrates a goal that was later disallowed against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“We are one of the great clubs”
Despite rumors of Mbappé's departure circulating for months, Al-Khelaifi says he always remained "very confident" that the 23-year-old would stay in Paris.
But this season has perhaps been more difficult than anyone at the club could have imagined.
When PSG announced last summer the signing of Messi, one of the greatest players of all time, as a free agent following his departure from Barcelona, few would have expected the team's performance.
Even the positive part of the season, the Ligue 1 title, was greeted with scorn by the fans.
After PSG drew at home with Lens (1-1) and won its tenth title, a record in France, much of the audience in the Parc des Princes booed their team at half-time and left the stadium 15 minutes of the end of the match.
Frustrated by the team's embarrassing loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League, fans made their feelings known and the stadium had almost completely emptied within 10 minutes of the final whistle.
Players even skipped the traditional lap of honor after winning the league.
Al-Khelaifi admits there were "a lot of things" that didn't go well this season.
"We won Ligue 1, which I think people said was very easy, but winning the trophy is never easy," he said.
"[In the] Champions League, I honestly think we didn't do badly, until the 65th minute of the second game against Real when we controlled the whole game."
Even with Mbappé, Neymar and Messi, PSG could not win the Champions League.
"Here we should win by four to nil, but Real won and deserved to win. Congratulations to them. That's the truth. In the Champions League there are more details, always small, and you have to be lucky and also believe in yourself, in the players and in all the personnel”.
"We really believe that we are one of the great clubs today, I believe that myself, and everyone has to believe and work on it. When you wear the Paris Saint-Germain shirt, you are a great player in a great club and you just win here, that's the mindset we want to create."
"Sometimes it's not easy, we know, but that's what we want to build, the winning spirit and mentality."
"There's love"
Much of the talk surrounding Mbappé's new deal has revolved around the allegedly exorbitant sums of money he was awarded;
Al-Khelaifi says he met with Mbappe and his family numerous times during the negotiation process, but insists they did not discuss "anything but football".
By staying at PSG, Mbappé becomes the highest-paid player in world football with a salary of around 1 million pounds ($1.25 million) a week, after pocketing a signing bonus of around 100 million. pounds ($125 million), according to Sky Sports.
But, instead, Al-Khelaifi believes that Mbappé was only motivated by the sporting project presented to him by PSG and the opportunity to continue representing his city's club at the highest level.
Mbappé assures that staying has been the most difficult decision of his life 4:05
"The only thing that matters to him: only sport and football," he said.
"We have the same goal... basically we want to win and he wants to win. He is a fighter; he is a winner."
"You must not forget that he is Parisian, that he is French. He loves his country. He loves his club. He has played for the club for five years, there is a relationship. There is love between him, the club, the fans and his country. So I think it was very important and people maybe underestimate it."
"They think it's just about a contract and who can offer more, which is not [true] at all. I think he's really amazing. As well as being an amazing player, the best in the world, he's also a fantastic person." .
Kylian Mbappe