Thierry Henry confirms Kylian Mbappe future with Olympics message to Real Madrid

France Under-21 manager Thierry Henry has confirmed Kylian Mbappe will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer as he refused to accept defeat in his attempts to take the forward to this summer's Olympic Games.

Mbappe decided to walk away from PSG last month and reports suggest he has agreed terms with Real Madrid, but during negotiations, the 25-year-old had been adamant that he wanted to represent France at the Olympics in Paris this year.

While he is not currently a Madrid player, Mbappe's chances of linking up with Henry's side this summer were handed a blow when Madrid contacted the French Football Federation to inform them that they would not be releasing any players for the tournament. Given the Olympics are not FIFA-authorised, clubs have no obligation to release players.

Reflecting on Madrid's stance, Henry confirmed that Mbappe's future lies away from PSG, with the boss insisting he still hopes to strike an agreement with whichever club he ends up joining.

"We still don't know where he's going to go. We know he's going to leave, so we'll see what happens," Henry told the press. "What we want to do is have the best team but we don't have certainties. Everyone wants to come, but whether that's possible...that's another debate."

On Madrid's stance, Henry admitted he was not surprised but insisted he is not ready to accept defeat.

"It's always been the case. I knew how difficult it was going to be. I suspected it," he said. "It's completely normal, especially clubs abroad.

"It's the Olympics here, in France, the French clubs will be there I think to help. But for the foreign clubs, I suspected it. I never stopped at the first no. We will see what we can do, the decision will remain that of the clubs, since these are not FIFA dates. We will try to discuss, but it is not easy.

"We're going to try to talk, see what we can do. There are quite a few branches on the tree. We have to poll everyone. We're going to see if we can receive them. It's difficult to prepare because we don't have certainty. Yes, there are quite a few names that we would like to have. But we don't know when the yes will arrive. And if the player changes clubs...it's not easy, but we knew that would be the case."

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