Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered by a Paris labour court to pay their former forward, Kylian Mbappe, the sum of €60 million in outstanding salaries and bonuses, bringing an end to the prolonged legal battle between both parties.
The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, followed months of legal proceedings after the France captain accused the Ligue 1 champions of withholding his wages and contractual bonuses in the final months of his deal before his free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
Mbappe maintained that his salaries for April, May and June 2024 were never paid, despite being clearly stated in his contract. He also claimed entitlement to both an ethics bonus and a signing bonus.
In its ruling, the court found in favour of the player, concluding that PSG failed to pay three months’ salary alongside the additional bonuses owed. The judges noted that the unpaid sums had already been acknowledged by the French Professional Football League in decisions issued in September and October last year, further strengthening Mbappe’s case.
PSG argued that the forward had agreed to forgo the payments as part of an informal arrangement tied to his reintegration into the squad during the 2023–24 season. However, the court rejected this defence, stating that the club could not provide any written agreement showing Mbappe had waived his contractual rights.
Reacting to the verdict, Mbappe’s lawyer, Frederique Cassereau, welcomed the decision, describing it as a straightforward application of French labour law, which requires that salaries and bonuses stated in a contract must be paid in full.
Although Mbappe secured the €60 million award, the court dismissed several additional claims brought on his behalf. Allegations of moral harassment, concealed work, and breaches of the employer’s duty of care were rejected. The court also declined to reclassify his fixed-term contract as a permanent one, limiting the possibility of further compensation.
PSG had also accused Mbappe of acting disloyally by hiding his intention not to renew his contract, claiming this deprived the club of the opportunity to secure a significant transfer fee. The judges ruled that such arguments were irrelevant to the issue of unpaid remuneration and did not affect the outcome of the case.
Mbappe spent seven years at PSG after joining from Monaco in 2017, winning six Ligue 1 titles and 15 major trophies. He departed the club as its all-time leading scorer, with 256 goals in 308 appearances.
