There was more than a whiff of novelty at Paris Saint-Germain this past week as Luis Enrique’s unveiling on Wednesday fittingly coincided with the first public event at the club’s new state-of-the-art training centre. Journalists would be made to wait three hours as Nasser al-Khelaifi’s plane was delayed – although they were given a tour of the new facilities, which sprawl over 74 hectares in the capital’s western suburbs. Eventually, the new coach took centre stage and gave an enticing, albeit noncommittal, outline of his plans for the team, setting Champions League success as his target. The afternoon, though, was soon overshadowed by a more familiar storyline as the club president was inevitably asked about the long-running standoff with Kylian Mbappé, whose contract expires at the end of next season. Although the extension he signed last year was initially announced as a three-season deal, it soon transpired the final year of the contract was to be triggered at the striker’s discretion. Since announcing he would not activate that clause, the World Cup winner and the club have been in conflict – one Khelaifi has now made public: “My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it all the time. If Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he needs to sign a new contract. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free. That’s impossible. He had said that he would never leave for free. It’s not my fault that he’s changed his mind now.” Khelaifi was startlingly unambiguous in his ultimatum – either the forward signs a new contract or he is pushed out this summer. In practice, Mbappé could simply stay put and see out his commitment to PSG – as has been his publicly stated intention. In that scenario, his likely central role at next year’s Paris Olympics would presumably act as the grandiose send-off from his home town before a move to Real Madrid. Whether or not there was a verbal agreement in place, the Frenchman’s decision is seen as a betrayal. The club have made their feelings clear, both in public and in formal correspondence with Mbappé’s team, insisting on the efforts that were made to accommodate his growing star power. Mbappé, for his part, labelled PSG a “divisive club” in an interview with France Football magazine that was published this week. Reports emerged on Saturday that a number of Mbappé’s teammates have raised concerns with Al-Khelaifi over his comments in the interview. Despite the situation, the prospect of Real Madrid waiting until next summer to make their move invariably leaves the French champions in a weak negotiating position. Within minutes of the end of his unveiling, Luis Enrique will have had his first taste of the perpetual drama and power struggles that surround the club. For all the novelty of the week, the fact that Mbappé’s future once again took centre stage was a timely reminder of PSG’s deep-running problems. Mbappé’s departure would affect the club at virtually all levels – from being the centrepiece of the on-field project to his unparalleled influence off it. The deadlock is preventing PSG from having a much-needed top-down reevaluation of the club’s direction. Until that happens, appointments such as Luis Enrique’s can have only a limited impact. On Wednesday, the former Barcelona coach and Khelaifi repeatedly placed a strong emphasis on the prospect of bringing an attack-focused style of play to the Parc des Princes. Whether or not a thinly veiled dig at the Spaniard’s predecessor, there does seem to be a recognition Christophe Galtier’s departure was an open secret from the moment the season ended, but was confirmed only on Wednesday after protracted talks over the early termination of his two-year deal. He nevertheless leaves having added a second Ligue 1 title to his honours list, after the one he pipped his future employers to with Lille, in 2021. A tumultuous term on and off the pitch resulted in his team’s form unravelling spectacularly at the turn of the year and they beat Lens to the title by a solitary point by virtue of an unbeaten first half of the season. Once the honeymoon period ended and the post-World Cup crash hit, Galtier then faced accusations he had made alleged racist and anti-Muslim comments – for which he will stand trial – dating back from his season at Nice, which were detailed in an internal email attributed to the then director Julien Fournier. He has firmly denied the allegations and initiated legal proceedings against the journalists who revealed the contents of the email, as well as Fournier. The subsequent police investigation led to Nice’s headquarters being searched for evidence. Various individuals have been questioned by investigators as potential witnesses, including the Nice president, Jean Pierre Rivère, the then reserve coach, Didier Digard, as well as Galtier himself. In an inadvertently ominous parting message Galtier wished PSG another “intense and emotional season”, and Luis Enrique “the best of luck”. The wording can be interpreted as a testament to the taxing nature of the job. In this sense, it is hoped that Luis Enrique’s high-level experience will serve him well in the fast-paced, cut-throat world of PSG. Despite the off-field turmoil, the manager was in upbeat mood. When asked about the prospect of dealing with French journalists, he opted for a self-deprecating dig at his language skills: “We’ll get on perfectly, seeing as I can’t understand anything.” He also spoke of his delight at working with the club’s sporting adviser, Luís Campos, perhaps pre-empting concerns regarding reports of disagreements between the pair about the make-up of coaching staff. Another major point of discussion between the pair will be the club’s transfer business. One of Mbappé’s gripes concerned the underwhelming recruitment campaign that followed his contract extension. On that front, though, the early signs are that PSG seem to have learned from last summer’s mistakes – three first-team signings have been unveiled, all of them senior internationals and potential first-team starters: Milan Skriniar, Manuel Ugarte, and Marco Asensio. Whether this more ruthless approach – largely aided by the softening of their financial fair play constraints, after having restrictions imposed by Uefa last year – can convince Mbappé to stay, is another matter entirely. Neymar’s return to action is fast coming into view. The forward was the league’s best player last autumn but missed the entirety of the second half of the campaign after undergoing reconstructive ankle ligament surgery. The Brazilian will ostensibly stay in the French capital for a seventh season and it is hoped the arrival of the manager under whom he won the 2015 treble at Barcelona can inspire a rejuvenation. With the prospect of Mbappé leaving gaining credence, and with Lionel Messi also gone, the 31-year-old may find himself the sole face of the attack again. Another drawn-out Mbappé saga may be a blessing in disguise, too – all eyes will be on the France captain’s every move for the next few months, potentially allowing Luis Enrique and co to work under the radar. Rarely has an incoming PSG manager been afforded this level of leeway, even taking into account the usual wave of optimism that comes with a new name in the dugout. The whole of the squad will be back in training by 17 July, at which point the new manager will be able to talk with Mbappé. Whether their working relationship lasts more than two weeks remains to be seen but in any case, the Spaniard appears willing to soldier on without last year’s top-scorer. The opening match of the season, at home to Lorient, will be a good indicator of the scale of the rebuild ahead, given the champions lost this fixture two months ago. Whether Mbappé will be involved – and if he is, how the home crowd will welcome him – will depend on the result of several weeks of more public statements and strained talks behind the scenes. The Frenchman won one power struggle last summer, PSG cannot afford to lose this one.