Pochettino has a plan to convince Kylian Mbappe to stay at PSG

Yet another week passes and there is still no news on Kylian Mbappe extending his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, however Mauricio Pochettino feels he has a plan to convince the French superstar to stay at the Parc des Princes.

At just 22 years old, Mbappe has won every single trophy he could have done, aside from the Champions League, and he is already seen as one of the best players in the world.

So, just why can't PSG appear able to convince him to stay with the club he signed for back in 2017 after leaving Monaco for a fee rumoured to be around 180 million euros?

The reality is that playing for PSG is not the peak of a footballer's career; they aren't held at the same level as Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Furthermore, given the fact the French champions are essentially state-owned via the Qatar Sports Investments group, Mbappe knows that he can never get a transfer unless it is on a Bosman deal, as he will simply be too expensive and PSG have no fiscal need to ever sell.

"What coach wouldn't want Kylian in his team?" Pochettino asked in an interview with Canal+.

"What players appreciate the most is when you are fair, genuine and build a truthful relationship with them, not one built on lies.

"If Kylian has plans to extend with us, he has to see that we are open and honest as a coaching staff; you can't promise someone something to convince them to stay, only to then take it away."

Pochettino believes he can help improve Mbappe further, even though he has scored a brilliant 28 goals in 35 games this term, and he may point towards his work with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min at Tottenham Hotspur as examples.

Neymar is very close to signing a new deal in Paris, yet Mbappe has appeared reluctant, especially given his long-held desire to play for Real Madrid.

If Los Blancos were living in a normal financial situation, this may well have been a deal that had already been arranged by now, but alas, Florentino Perez is having to carefully watch every single euro in the Spanish capital.

PSG know they will have to offer Mbappe perhaps the biggest contract ever signed in football to keep him, which they have no problem doing, but the real task will be convincing him to stay in Paris when he already doesn't need money and doesn't need to validate his talent any further.

Mbappe would be the greatest player to ever hit the free agent market in the Bosman era, and Pochettino knows it.