Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has said he expects Kylian Mbappe to stay ahead this season and denied that the club received a €200 million final deadline offer from Real Madrid.
PSG will begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday in Group A rivals Club Brugge, where a trio of Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar could make their European debut.
The French club last month refused to negotiate a deal for Mbappe, while the 22-year-old had just one year left in his contract. Madrid sources previously told ESPN that Madrid bid €160m, €180m and finally €200m on 31 August before the transfer window closed.
"I don't see Mbappe leaving at the end of the season," Leonardo told Canal+ on Tuesday. "Kylan has a deep connection with PSG. No one is thinking of PSG's future without Kylian. I can't imagine it."
Mbappe joined PSG from Monaco in 2017 for €180m, defeating Real Madrid under his signing, and has been the Spanish giant's top target ever since.
The France international has refused to agree to an extension of the contract in Paris, and Leonardo said last month that Mbappe wants to leave the club.
"To be honest, we were not happy with the behavior of Real Madrid," Leonardo said. "Initiating talks for one of the best players in the world in the last week of the market led to a situation we didn't like. Our position with the offer was clear. It wasn't enough for us. It was less than that." we paid.
"The last offer people talk about never came. You can't plan for a transfer market for two, three or four months and change your plans just like that."
With Mbappe scoring four goals so far this season, PSG hope the collective attacking firepower that he, Neymar and Messi claim will eventually help them win the club's first Champions League trophy.
The closest they came to was in 2020 when they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich in the final in Lisbon.
Pochettino said on Tuesday that the club had recruited "big names", but that his side is "not a team" yet. Leonardo insisted that the club's attacking trio is consistent and is far from a short-lived project.
"Messi, Neymar and Mbappe are just not something to watch for a year," he said. "I think they complement each other, each with their own characteristics. I don't see any jealousy between them."