Soccer Football - Champions League - Group F - Newcastle United v Paris St Germain - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - October 4, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe reacts REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
(Reuters) - Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe said he would not let speculation over his future at the Ligue 1 club pollute his performances on the pitch.
Earlier this year, Mbappe said he would not renew his contract at PSG, which expires at the end of the 2023-24 season when he could leave Paris for free. The France captain has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
"(Questions around my future are) not something that weighs on me. On the pitch, I don't think about that. I just think about playing, being efficient, and winning titles," Mbappe told reporters ahead of France's UEFA qualifier against Gibraltar.
"I've always done that. I've always had a lot to deal with off the pitch and that hasn't stopped me from achieving what I have. When I'm out on the pitch, I don't get caught up in the outside world.
"I've started this season with the desire to think only about my football and not to think about outside things or bring in things from outside, to pollute my football, so the most important thing for me today is to play."
Mbappe also dismissed any talk of a rift between him and PSG manager Luis Enrique. The 24-year-old was singled out for criticism by the PSG boss following a 3-0 win over Reims last week, despite scoring all three goals in the league match.
Asked about the criticism, Mbappe said: "I honestly don't know. You'd have to ask (Luis Enrique) why this timing. But I took it very well and, as I said, he's a great coach. I know he has a lot to offer me, a lot to teach me.
"I'm a player who's very demanding with myself and if I can find that demand with my coach, I'm very happy, because I know it's going to take me very high up.
"I don't necessarily need the coach to say every day that I'm the best in the world for me to play well."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue)
