Kylian Mbappe Says Now Is 'Not the Right Time' to Discuss New PSG Contract

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has said now is "not the right time" to negotiate a new contract at the Parc des Princes. 

Mbappe joined PSG on loan from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017, signing a four-year contract with the former one year later when they paid €180 million to secure his services.

The 21-year-old spoke to reporters after he scored PSG's last goal in a 6-1 Coupe de la Ligue quarter-final drubbing of Saint-Etienne on Wednesday:

"I am ready to play football first. Because we are in January.

"We start the final sprint, where we can compete for trophies. I think it's not the right time to make some waves.

"The club are calm, serene, everyone is walking in the same direction so talking about external things off the pitch would not be realistic or good."

Mbappe now sits on 19 goals and nine assists in 20 appearances this season, and his midweek goal brought him within one strike of breaking another PSG record:

The youngster almost ended the cup fixture with a brace to his name, expressing his confidence on the pitch with an audacious rabona attempt, via BT Sport:

"

If this went in 

Kylian Mbappe with an audacious rabona attempt from outside the box...pic.twitter.com/J27HNMur2V

— BT Sport (@btsport) January 9, 2020"

Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid have been closely linked with Mbappe since his days at Monaco, and Los Blancos may be one of only a few clubs that could feasibly execute such a transfer.

The Evening Standard's Ben Hayward wrote in November that Real are monitoring the player's situation in Paris, and Mbappe—who had a trial with the Spaniards as a youth—remains a priority target.

What's more, Le Parisien (h/t Andres Onrubia and Jonathan Meaney of AS) also reported in November that Real president Florentino Perez will pay up to €300 million (£254 million) for the player.

It would strengthen Real's hand in the matter if Mbappe were to run his current deal closer to its expiration, which would make PSG more willing to negotiate a transfer fee.

Mbappe's comments suggest all is well in the French capital for now, however, and his relationship with Neymar seems to be thriving after the Brazilian's arrival initially appeared to rock PSG's star-studded boat:

The French powerhouses will face Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, beginning in February, though PSG haven't advanced past the quarter-finals in their modern history. The club qualified for the semis in 1995 but have failed to reach that point since.

PSG lead Ligue 1 by seven points with one game in hand over most of their competition, and Mbappe can remind former club Monaco what they're missing when the teams clash in Paris on Sunday.