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Football at its highest level comes with its own set of complexities. Away from the pitch, the beautiful game can get a little complicated. There are contracts, image rights, sponsorship deals and player agents looking to squeeze every single penny they can out of the clubs.
Players who excel at the highest level also end up having a lot of options on their plate. Clubs are always waiting to pounce with lucrative contract offers in the hopes that a boost in wages might help tempt a player to jump ship.
There are plenty of factors at play when it comes to signing a player and then keeping him at the club by extending his contract. The player could be looking for a fresh challenge. Or if he is not winning trophies at his current club, he might want to change that.
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Or a player might feel like his salary slip does not reflect his actual contributions on the pitch. Whatever the reason may be, unless an agreement is reached, the club runs the risk of losing the player as a free-agent.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five superstars who are having contract issues with their clubs.
#5 Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
Lorenzo Insigne has been a loyal servant to Napoli since joining the club in 2010. He has given the best years of his career to the Partenopei. He was their standout performer in the 2020-21 season as well, scoring 19 goals and providing 11 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.
Despite his heroics though, Napoli finished a point short of the last Champions League spot in Serie A last term. The lack of Champions League football is widely thought to be a source of frustration for Insigne. He has been heavily linked with a move to Inter Milan as his current contract is set to expire in 2022.
Talks over a new contract have reportedly stalled and it is not clear if the winger wants to sign a new deal before the end of the season. Insigne opened up on his contract situation with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Football News Italy) in late September. He said:
“I only have one year on my contract, but I don’t want to be distracted. I want to give 100 percent, then for other matters there are the prosecutors and the president. They met and chatted. Personally I want to be focused only on this season.”
In March earlier this year, Insigne's agent Vincenzo Pisacane spoke to Radio Punto Nuovo and said there were several clubs interested in the player. He also hinted that Champions League football would be important in the context of a new contract. He said:
“Of course, there are top clubs interested in him. We are flattered by the interest of these clubs, but we are focused on finishing the season. There will be time to discuss the contract extension.
“The only thing he is thinking about is Napoli and the qualification for the Champions League. He feels the responsibility of being captain.”
#4 Franck Kessie (AC Milan)
Young midfielder Franck Kessie's contributions have been crucial to AC Milan finishing nd in the Serie A last season. The 24-year-old scored 14 goals and provided six assists in 50 appearances for the Rossoneri across all competitions last term.
However, Gazzetta Dello Sport claim that with his current deal set to expire in 2022, Kessie has rejected a new contract offer from AC Milan. The Ivorian has already been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Milan Live claim that AC Milan offered Kessie a contract worth €5.5 million a year. However, Kessie's camp is holding out for around €7 million a season. As a result of the midfielder choosing not to commit his future to the club, there have been suggestions that the AC Milan ultras could make their feelings known to him at the San Siro.
As per Calciomercato.com, the commission that has been requested by Kessie's agent George Atangana's has also become a stumbling block in contract talks. After AC Milan's 3-2 win over Atalanta in the first week of October, Atangana was quoted by Milan News as saying:
“Where is the negotiation at? You have to ask the Milan management.”
#3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
That Mohamed Salah has had a profound impact at Liverpool since joining the club in 2017 has been proven beyond reasonable doubt. His exploits have been critical to Liverpool winning the Champions League in the 2018-19 season and the Premier League in the subsequent one.
Salah has been in sublime form this season as well, scoring nine goals and providing three assists in nine appearances across all competitions thus far. His current contract with the club is set to expire in 2023 and the Merseysiders are looking to give him a new deal.
According to The Independent, Salah wants to be the top earner at the club and desires to pocket between £300,000 and £380,000 in weekly wages. He also wants the new deal to run until 2025 and he will be 34 by then. So the Egyptian is playing his cards like he knows this is his last chance to secure a bumper contract.
Salah's agent Ramy Abbas Issa is famous for posting hints on social media regarding his client's future. After Salah produced an excellent performance in Liverpool's Premier League opening day win over Norwich City, Issa tweeted: “I hope they’re watching.”
#2 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
If you've followed football closely over the past several years, you wouldn't have missed all the noise surrounding Paul Pogba's future. His agent Mino Raiola and his brothers have been all over social media talking about the player's desire to leave the club.
Pogba, however, has sworn his allegiance to Manchester United. But super agent Mino Raiola wouldn't give it a rest. He spoke assuredly about a Paul Pogba exit in the middle of the 2020-21 season. Speaking to Tuttosport in December last year, Raiola said:
"There's no point beating about the bush. It's better to speak out clearly, look forward and avoid wasting time to find culprits.
"Paul is unhappy at Man Utd, he can't manage to express himself like he wants to and like people expect him to. He needs to change team, he needs a change of scenery. He has a contract that will expire in a year and a half, in the summer of 2022, but the best solution for all parties is a transfer in the next (summer) window."
Although Pogba has not publicly reprimanded his agent for undermining the club and talking about his future, he has said multiple times that he is focused on Manchester United. He has also openly flirted with Real Madrid and as such, we have to take whatever he says with a pinch of salt.
But the situation has improved at Manchester United and the club have an array of stars and are showing a lot of ambition. Pogba has also enjoyed great returns in the Premier League so far this new season, registering seven assists in seven appearances.
However, his current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2022. Manchester United need to act swiftly if they want to keep him at the club and not lose him on a free transfer. Meanwhile, Pogba has not shied away from hinting at a potential Juventus return once his contract with Manchester United expires next summer.
Speaking to Sport Mediaset after France's sensational 3-2 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League semi-final, Pogba said:
“I always talk with my former teammates at Juventus, [Juan] Cuadrado, [Paulo] Dybala… Now I’m a Man Utd player, I still have a year on my contract, then we will see. I want to finish the season well there, then we’ll see."
#1 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe's intention was to leave Paris Saint-Germain this past summer. The Frenchman reportedly has his eyes set on a move to Real Madrid and has made no secret of it. In an interview with RMC Sport (via The Guardian), the 22-year-old spilled the beans on all of it himself.
"I asked to leave, because from the moment I did not want to extend [my contract], I wanted the club to have a transfer fee to find a quality replacement."
“It is a club that has given me a lot, I have always been happy, the four years I spent here, and I am still happy. I announced it early enough … I said, if you don’t want me to leave, I’ll stay.”
Meanwhile, there were reports which claimed that Mbappe had rejected upto seven contract proposals from PSG. In response to this, he said:
“People have said that I refused six or seven offers of extension, that I do not want to talk to [sporting director] Leonardo, this is absolutely not true. They told me ‘Kylian now you talk with the president.'
“Personally, I did not appreciate the fact that they said I came [with the news he wanted to leave] the last week of August. I said at the end of July that I wanted to go.”
He has also taken no prisoners when it comes to speaking about his desire to join Real Madrid. Speaking to L'Equipe (via Managing Madrid) in another interview, Mbappe said:
“PSG decided not to sell me and I was OK with that decision. I kept playing in August and I didn’t have a problem with that, I’m still playing for a great team in a place where I was and I still am happy.
"Why did I want to go? I thought my adventure there was over, I wanted to discover a new thing. If I had left this summer it would only have been to join Real Madrid. Leaving was a logical step in my career.
But he refused to confirm he was going to join Real Madrid as a free agent next summer.
“Is my departure confirmed? The truth of yesterday is not the truth of today, nor that of tomorrow. If I had been told that Messi was going to play for PSG, I would not have believed him. So, we don’t know what can happen."
In a fresh twist, Mbappe's mother has told Le Parisien that her son is now in talks over a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
"We are talking right now with PSG and all is well. I spoke last night with [PSG sporting director] Leonardo. Will we reach a solution? One thing is clear. He is going to give everything until the end to win the Champions League."
She added that Mbappe will make a decision based on his happiness.
"Kylian needs to be happy. If he is sad, he is capable of saying, I give it up. And he says that often. With Kylian, everything can change from one day to the next."
We don't know where this one's headed but we can be certain that the Kylian Mbappe contract saga is going to be really entertaining.
