PSG not guaranteeing Mbappe will stay

"There's no doubting if Mbappe is an priority or not. Do we have to renew him? I never make promises. I don't want to make a promise just like that without being sure if I will be able to stick to it," said Leonardo to 'Le Parisien'. 

The PSG sporting director was also not sure if the club's project will be built around the young French star, "He's a great player. Yes, a great player," he replied when he was asked if the Frenchman would an essential player for the team.

"Kylian is 20 years old and he is now up there with the best in the world. Being Mbappe is a responsibility in itself. He had an incredible season for Monaco, the following year he played and won the World Cup," Leonardo stated about Mbappe. 

 "He came with an atittude, with a smile, like always. He's charismatic, people love him a lot. It's important to have a player like him, young and smiling," he added.

"A player like Mbappe can do what he wants, evolve in any place. He has a lot of quality. He's quick, alert, agile, technical, intelligent. He's got everything," Leonardo assured when he was asked about the position of the player, to whom he compared with Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, among others. 

But to arrive at the very best, beforehand he will have to continue progressing: "The way in which Kylian handles the first period of difficulty will be important to get to know his true value. Seeing how he reacts will be important. It's fundamental for him to last. He's 20 and he's mature, he will get better."

Tuchel's future

Mbappe was not the only person Leonardo talked about. He also spoke about Thomas Tuchel, who has been the PSG coach since summer 2018. "We have a direct relationship," he confirmed. 

"The end of last season was difficult. You lose agianst Manchester United then the French Cup. We also must say that many things were well done. We have all the conditions to have success. You can't always make excuses," he said. 

Leonardo was questioned about whether Tuchel would continue, but the sporting director was clear. "He's got two years left on his contract. We did not even discuss that. He has his ideas, he knows what he wants. He's learning, but I think he's strong," he added. 

This was the second half of an interview which started on Monday and in which Leonardo confirmed that Neymar wants to leave as well as admitting contact with Barcelona regarding his sale.