Mbappe reinstated by PSG to first team

PARIS - French superstar Kylian Mbappe was reinstated in Paris Saint-Germain's first team on Sunday after being sidelined for several weeks amid an ongoing contract dispute.

PSG opened their Ligue 1 title defence with a goalless draw at home against Lorient on Saturday as the team's prize asset watched from the stands.

"After very constructive and positive discussions between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe before the PSG-Lorient match, the player was reinstated in the first training team this morning," PSG said in a statement.

After a summer of flux at the Parc des Princes filled with new arrivals and Lionel Messi's departure, it is the Mbappe stand-off that continues to dominate the headlines.

The France captain has refused to sign an extension to his PSG deal, meaning he can leave for free next year, with Real Madrid long seen as his preferred destination.

PSG want to sell him now and bring in a significant transfer fee for a player who cost 180 million euros ($198 million) from Monaco in 2017.

New coach Luis Enrique on Friday said he hoped a solution could be found, but Mbappe has not been allowed train with the first team and was left out of the squad to face Lorient.

Instead he sat alongside fellow 2018 World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele, who completed his transfer from Barcelona earlier in the day, as Luis Enrique handed debuts to six players. - AFP