This week has seen new doubts raised about Kylian Mbappe’s long-term future at Paris Saint-Germain, but the World Cup winner also underlined how vital he is to his club as they prepare for a make-or-break Champions League date with Borussia Dortmund.

On Tuesday, the main story in sports daily L’Equipe wondered why Mbappe -- born in the French capital and brought up in the Paris suburbs -- was not revered by PSG supporters in the way former stars had been.

One banner during a recent match at the Parc des Princes targeted Mbappe, Neymar and captain Thiago Silva, asking them if they were “afraid of winning” and urging them to “show some balls”.

The 21-year-old’s perceived arrogance -- encapsulated by his angry response to being substituted in a recent win over Montpellier -- surely does not help.

“Everyone knows he has the talent, but you are also judged on the image you give off,” former PSG player and coach Luis Fernandez told L’Equipe.

By Wednesday, the focus had switched to reports that Mbappe and the club were on a potential collision course regarding the player’s possible participation at the Olympics, for which France have qualified for the first time since 1996.

Mbappe has in the past said playing at the Games was a “boyhood dream”. However, clubs are not obliged to release players for the Olympics and PSG have reportedly written to the French Football Federation to say they would now allow him to go.

But could preventing Mbappe from going to Tokyo only help push him towards the exit? Talk of Real Madrid’s interest in the striker never goes away.

Nevertheless, probably the most important factor in Mbappe opting to stay or push for a move at the end of this season is PSG’s performance in the Champions League.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg of their tie against Borussia Dortmund, the risk of a fourth successive exit in the last 16 is real. It is hard to see how the Qatar project in Paris would remain credible if they go out in next week’s return match.

Agence France-Presse


French League fixtures (kick-offs GMT)
Saturday: Strasbourg vs PSG (1630), Angers vs Nantes, Dijon vs Toulouse, Metz vs Nimes, Nice vs Monaco, Reims vs Brest (all 1900)
Sunday: Saint-Etienne vs Bordeaux (1400), Rennes vs Montpellier (1600), Lille vs Lyon (2000)