Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has confirmed the club have started negotiations to extend the contracts of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The star attacking duo, who are currently sidelined due to injury, have regularly been linked with moves away, but plans are afoot to reward them with new deals.
Neymar and Mbappe, who joined PSG from Barcelona and Monaco respectively in 2017, are currently under contract until the summer of 2022.
Brazil international Neymar has regularly been linked with a return to Barcelona, while France forward Mbappe is routinely touted as a target for Real Madrid.
However, Leonardo has outlined plans to retain their services, along with those of Angel Di Maria, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
The likes of Juan Bernat and Julian Draxler could also be in line for contract extensions as PSG look to retain key members of their squad amid the ongoing financial impact of the coronavirus on football clubs.
“We’ve started negotiations with Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria to extend their contracts,” Leonardo told a Q&A session on PSG’s official website. “Bernat, too, and Draxler is at the end of his contract. Some young people too. We will intensify this.
“Remember that PSG suffered financial losses this year, we’re in a complicated moment and it’s not easy, but we’re talking directly with Mbappe and Neymar.
“There is a question of timing. The idea of an extension exists. We have arrived at the moment when we must have clearer situations.”
Regarding the Mbappe links to Madrid, Leonardo is not concerned by the noise in Spain.
“There is a lot of talk,” he said. “And in the Spanish teams, there are a lot of politics. We speak directly with Kylian, that’s the truth of the negotiation.
“The truth is that PSG are in a complicated moment, but it will be the team of the next five years that will have a shot.
“There are teams that have gone through a very long, successful cycle and are starting to struggle. We have young but very experienced players.
“We have Neymar, Mbappe, who are in the top three [in the world] because [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi will come out with age. That’s the idea. I see this future and that’s what we’re working on.
“We know this season is weird. We knew it would be difficult, that we will play all our games behind closed doors and that we would not have the same income.”
Recent weeks have seen Moise Kean come to the fore, with the on-loan Everton forward scoring both goals in a Champions League victory away to Istanbul Basaksehir and the opener in the weekend win over Rennes.
However, Leonardo confirmed that PSG do not have an option to sign Kean on a permanent basis when his loan deal finishes at the end of the season.
Leonardo added: “We don’t have an option to buy Moise Kean, unfortunately.
“He’s here on loan from Everton. Kean is a great striker for the future, but loan deals in the UK are a bit different, an option to buy is not included in our deal with Everton.”
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