Other clubs offered Kylian Mbappe more money but it was his 'dream' to play for PSG, claims French club's president

It was a love of Paris, not money, that made French starlet Kylian Mbappe choose a move to to PSG in the summer, claims the club's president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

The 18-year-old moved north from Monaco to the French capital in the summer in a year-long loan deal with a £166million purchase offer at the end of the season - which PSG will almost certainly exercise to make him the world's most expensive teenager.

He became the Qatar-backed club's second blockbuster signing of the summer after Neymar's world record £200m move from Barcelona earlier in the summer in transfers that have prompted other clubs to question how PSG has managed to stay within UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

But PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi has laughed off claims of an investigation into his side's transfer dealings, instead suggesting there were clubs who offered the 26-goal Monaco star even more money to join them.

Mbappe himself confirmed that Arsenal had been one of those clubs, with Al-Khelaifi insisting that it was the teenager's love of his hometown - having been born in Paris suburb Bondy in 1998 - that drew him to the club.

"It was very competitive, trust me," Al-Khelaifi explained to the Telegraph. "Some other clubs offered him more than us.

"Every big club wanted him. But we explained to him our project and the ambition of the club and he's French, he's a Parisian and he had the club in his heart.

"He wanted to stay in France and defends the French colours in the Champions League. It's deep inside him.

"He wants to write history here and he has history here already — you saw the pictures of him [at his unveiling] when he was here 10 years ago? A picture does not lie. He loves the club and it's his dream to play for Paris Saint-Germain."

And on the claims of financial jiggery-pokery, Al-Khelaifi was defiant his club had done nothing wrong - despite UEFA having opening an investigation - insisting there was a much more pressing issue for him and his colleagues currently.

"There is pressure from other clubs [to investigate] but I don’t think Uefa will be influenced by the pressure because they are very professional and very serious," he said. "Today we have a good problem to solve — we don't have enough jerseys! This is huge for us.

"I was in the US last week and I saw the jersey of Paris Saint-Germain everywhere. It is the same in Asia and Latin America, the Middle East."

"Neymar is an international superstar. An international brand. Everybody is asking 'What’s going on in France and in the French league? Neymar is playing for Paris Saint-Germain!' Even people who are not interested in football are saying that.

"Neymar's first match in Guingamp was broadcast to 183 countries. It was amazing for France and the French league. It is good also for the Champions League because you will have another club competing — I am not saying by any means we are there yet — but it's important to have new clubs coming and clubs with ambition."

PSG's Champions League campaign begins on Tuesday night against Celtic at Parkhead with Neymar and Mbappe both expected to play.