PARIS: Kylian Mbappe was at the centre of renewed transfer speculation while scoring the goal which brought Paris Saint-Germain a home 1-1 draw against Benfica in the Champions League.

Mbappe put the hosts ahead in the first half, converting a penalty after Rafa Silva fouled Juan Bernat. PSG would have qualified with a win but Joao Mario’s spot-kick, following Marco Verratti’s foul on Silva, made it 1-1. Mbappe later thought he had scored a winner but his acrobatic volley was offside.

However this was overshadowed by reports that the 23-year-old had told PSG he wants to leave the club as soon as possible.

The French World Cup winner was linked with a move to Real throughout last season before signing a new three-year deal in Paris in May.

Mbappe joined PSG as an 18-year-old in 2017 – initially on loan – for €180m and has since scored 182 goals in 229 games.

World Cup winner Mbappe has lifted 11 trophies at PSG, including four Ligue 1 titles, since joining from Monaco initially on loan in 2017.

On Friday, he topped the Forbes list for highest-earning footballers – the first time someone other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has been number one for nine years.

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