Kylian Mbappe focused on Ligue 1 after UEFA Champions League exit raises questions over PSG future

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Paris Saint-Germain were once again dumped out of the Champions League, leaving questions over Kylian Mbappe’s stay in the French capital.

Kylian Mbappe insisted Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich will not affect his future as the striker focuses on the Ligue 1 title.

Strikes from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday gave Bayern a 2-0 win and a 3-0 aggregate triumph in the last 16 tie.

Defeat marked PSG’s second successive UEFA Champions League first-round exit, having repeatedly battled Real Madrid’s interest in keeping Mbappe in the French capital.

The France international previously rubbished suggestions that the European crown would dictate his future and reiterated that message after another miserable outing for PSG on the continental stage.

Asked by reporters if the relegation would affect his future, Mbappe replied: “No, no, I’m calm, the only thing that matters to me this season is winning the championship and then we’ll see.”

Christophe Galtier’s side are eight points clear at the summit of Ligue 1 and are looking to defend their French crown in the top flight.

But Mauricio Pochettino was sacked just last season for failure in the same round of the Champions League in which they lost a dramatic draw against eventual champions Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid.

PSG have gone 137 games in UEFA’s top club competition without lifting the trophy, with only Arsenal (177) having gone on a longer such run in the competition, excluding qualifiers.

Galtier’s visitors were a little unlucky in Munich as Vitinha saw his first-half open-goal effort cleared by a remarkable goal-line save from Matthijs de Ligt.

Mbappe admitted there was little separating the two heavyweights, although it did little to quell his frustration.

The 24-year-old added: “We’re disappointed. That’s right, we have to move on, try to challenge everyone.

“If you look at the state of these two teams, we haven’t missed much, but they have a team built to win the Champions League.

“At the beginning of the season, during the first press conference of the Champions League, I said that we will do our best and give our best.

“We will ask ourselves and go back to our daily life in Ligue 1.”

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