Mbappe has been 'kidnapped for money' in re-signing for PSG, blasts Laporta

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has slammed Paris Saint-Germain for 'distorting the market' in the wake of their staggering monetary package to keep Kylian Mbappe at the club.

Speculation over Mbappe's future had been rife all season with the forward having been heavily tipped to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

However, in a shock to many, Mbappe decided to renew with the French giants on a three-year deal that was announced on May 21.

In order to keep Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain have increased his wages to a mind-boggling £650,000-a-week while he has also signed a £126million signing on fee too.

And when asked about that pay package, Laporta believes the 23-year-old has been 'kidnapped for money' to stay instead of seeking pastures new.

'This distorts the market,' he told L'Esportiu de Catalunya. 'Players end up being kidnapped for money.

'These are the effects of a club having a state behind it. This goes against all the principles of the European Union. It is a reflection on the sustainability of football in Europe.

'Then there is the reading that can be done from Barca. There is a direct rival who does not come out stronger and we prefer that he cannot make us squirm when it comes to competing.

But I’m left with the reflection on the sustainability of football. Because I don't think we should care so much about a rival either. We have to worry about having a competitive team, which is what we are trying to do.

'It has been shown that when we have cared more about ourselves than our rivals, things have gone well.'

Laporta is the latest voice from Spain to condemn PSG. As of Thursday, Javier Tebas, the president of Spain's LaLiga, described the striker's new deal as an 'insult to football' while the league threatened to file a complaint against PSG to UEFA, the French financial authorities and the European Union .

They claimed Mbappe's new three-year deal 'attacks the economic stability of European football.'

Now, Vincent Labrune, the chairman of the French league, has hit back with his own scolding statement, reminding the Spanish league that Real Madrid and Barcelona spend enormous sums on transfer fees and have 'benefitted from illegal state aid.'

In part of his letter to Tebas, Labrune said: 'We want to express in the strongest possible terms our disapproval, and also our incomprehension, of your latest attacks against Ligue 1 and one of our clubs.

'The fact that you publicly and repeatedly take this position against Ligue 1 on this topic and denigrate our league and our clubs is both unacceptable and manifestly false.

'We are all the more shocked that you are making these attacks given your capacity as president of the European Leagues - which represents Ligue 1 - and a UEFA executive committee member.'

After Mbappe turned down Real, Tebas launched an attack on PSG and their Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

He said: 'What PSG is going to do by re-signing Mbappe with large amounts of money after losing 700 million euros in the last seasons and having 600 million euros in salary tables, is an INSULT to football.

'Al-Khelaifi is as dangerous as the Super League.'

PSG persuaded Mbappe to stay with them by promising sweeping changes to how the club is run following another failure in the Champions League this season.

They lost in dramatic fashion to Real in the last-16 of the competition, meaning Ligue 1 was their only piece of silverware in 2021-22.