Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Monaco's Kylian Mbappe: Playing time a decisive factor for my future

Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe has said he alone will make a call on his future while stressing that playing time will be a key factor in his decision.

Mbappe's sensational performances in Monaco's Ligue 1 title win and their run to the Champions League semifinals have led to him being linked a big-money summer transfer.

Real Madrid have already reportedly had a world-record bid for the 18-year-old rejected, and Monaco owner but president Dmitri Rybolovlev has said he will not stand in the way of any player who wishes to leave the club this summer.

Mbappe, whose Monaco contract runs through to 2019, told beIN SPORTS: "I'll be the only one who decides, along with my family. No one will decide for me. I won't go anywhere where I have been told to go. It'll be my choice, and I'll back that choice.

"All I want to do is play. I'm at an age where I have to play. I'm not 35 or 36 years old towards the end of my career or where I have to be careful. I'm at an age where I have just started, I still have everything to prove.

"This year has been a year of 'discovery,' but the year coming up is one of confirmation. Once you have taken that step, there aren't a billion steps left to take. This step is really important, and I will take the time to do it well and try to do it as quickly as possible."

Mbappe's parents and younger brother are to move from the Paris region to Monaco this summer, suggesting the youngster will stay with his current club for at least another season, though it will not be the decisive factor.

The forward, who scored 15 times in 29 league games last season, said: "I'm going to make my choices in terms of my sporting career, because the sporting aspect comes above all the other parameters. Because today I think I'm at an age when I need to play.

"I performed well this year because I played. A player who doesn't play cannot perform well. It's certain that that parameter will be primordial for my future. 

"There is also the family. We want to be together, we're a bit sick of being apart. That's going to do everyone good."

He has just broken into France's senior team, making his debut in the March international break and has been named in Didier Deschamps' squad for next month's friendlies with Paraguay and England as well as the 2018 World Cup qualifier in Sweden.

Despite the potential concerns about changing clubs a year ahead of a major tournament, Mbappe said the prospect of featuring in Russia would not sway him.

"No, that has no importance at all. I've always had pressure, I've been talked about in the media since I was young. It means I'm used to it, I've learned how to handle it," he said. "It's now part of my environment, it's part of me. I'm talked about a lot now. It doesn't bother me, my family or the club."

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