Paris Saint-Germain resumes its bid for the French League title after the winter break against Lens, last season's runner-up, with increasing focus on the future of France captain Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe, the league's top scorer in each of the past five seasons, expires his contract with the French champions at the end of June, and he is free to sign an agreement to join a new club for the 2024-25 season.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reiterated his position this week that the club is the best place for the 25-year-old amid endless speculation that he will join Real Madrid in the summer.
Al-Khelaifi told RMC Radio: “I will not hide that I want Kylian to stay.”
“The best player in the world is Kylian and the best club for him is Paris.”
Reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid want Mbappe to commit by January 15, but he insists no decision has been made, and those around him have said he will not be in a rush to do so under any ultimatum.
Liverpool have also been linked with the World Cup winner, who has spoken to the Premier League leaders in the past, notably meeting them when he was still at Monaco in 2017.
While Paris Saint-Germain looks set to secure a record 12th league title and 10th in the last 12 seasons, any surprising developments in Mbappe's long-running saga could upset Luis Enrique's side.
Al-Khelaifi said: “We have a lot of very important matches. I ask you to leave Kylian alone,” stressing that whether Mbappe stays or not “is not a matter of money.”
The Moroccan capital club will lose Achraf Hakimi and South Korea international Lee Kang-in to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively this month, a minor departure compared to many others.
On Sunday, the team travels to Lens, whose 11-match unbeaten run ended against second-placed Nice before Christmas.
The Stade Boulaert is no longer as strong as it was last season when Lens failed to win just twice at home and finished one point behind Paris Saint-Germain, but it remains a difficult ground for visiting teams.
Lens won five of the last six matches at home to return to European competition, but was eliminated from the French Cup last weekend by Monaco on penalties.
Nice, who trails Paris Saint-Germain by five points, will have to go through the next few weeks without top scorer Terem Moffi, who was called up to the Nigeria squad in place of the injured Victor Boniface.
Monaco, which ranks third, has six international players, including Japanese Takumi Minamino. Marseille faces a similar headache after ending 2023 strong by playing six matches without defeat.
To follow: Muhammad Ali Chu
The France Under-21 international returns to Ligue 1 with Nice after a difficult 18 months at Real Sociedad. 19-year-old Cho has scored just two goals in 40 matches for the Basque club, which will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16.
The former Angers striker, a Paris Saint-Germain and Everton graduate, is looking to get his career back on track at the Côte d'Azur and could be included directly in the squad alongside winger Jeremy Boga for the Africa Cup of Nations with hosts Ivory Coast. .
Key statistics
6 – Matches unbeaten for Brest, which has won 16 points out of a possible 18 since late November, climbing to fourth place.
7 – Marseille players missed the African Cup of Nations, which is the largest number of French League players alongside Lorient.
18 – Mbappe's league goals this season, more than double the total of Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder, who ranks second on the list with eight goals.
Matches (all times GMT)
Friday
Marseille – Strasbourg (2000)
Saturday
Monaco in Reims (1600), Rennes in Nice (2000)
Sunday
Lille vs. Lorient (1200), Brest vs. Montpellier, Metz vs. Toulouse, Nantes vs. Clermont (1400), Le Havre vs. Lyon (1605), Lens vs. Paris Saint-Germain (1945).
MW/BSP
