Kylian Mbappe claimed to be a victim of “fake news” after a Swedish newspaper reported that police had opened a rape investigation following his entourage’s visit to Stockholm.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Mbappe suggested that the timing of the Aftonbladet report suspiciously coincided with his upcoming hearing with a French league committee over a financial dispute with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain.
“FAKE NEWS!!! It’s becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance,” Mbappe posted. His team condemned the report as a “slanderous rumour” and indicated their intention to take legal action.
Mbappe maintains that Paris Saint-Germain owes him 55 million euros ($60 million). Despite his absence from France’s recent Nations League games, he spent last week in Stockholm, where, according to Aftonbladet, he dined and visited a nightclub with his group.
The newspaper reported a rape in central Stockholm based on a police complaint filed after the alleged victim sought medical care. The report, however, did not name the accused party.
A Swedish prosecutor told AFP that an investigation into a crime reported on October 10 in central Stockholm was underway. Still, the police are withholding further details to avoid compromising the investigation.
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“In general, if we have received a complaint and decide to conduct interviews, making it public might lead those involved to take actions that delay and complicate the investigation,” police spokeswoman Carina Skagerlind stated.
Aftonbladet also published photos of police outside the hotel where Mbappe and his group stayed.
Mbappe’s entourage told AFP they strongly denied the accusations, saying they were “completely false and irresponsible.” They criticized the spread of such claims and announced plans to take “all necessary legal actions to re-establish the truth and to pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe is repeatedly suffering.”
A source close to Paris Saint-Germain told AFP that the club would “ignore” Mbappe’s claim that the Swedish report was connected to his wage dispute. After seven years with PSG, Mbappe moved to Madrid this summer.