Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe said Monday he was the victim of "fake news" after a Swedish newspaper reported that an investigation had been opened for rape following a visit by the French footballer's entourage to Stockholm.
Mbappe, 25, claimed in a post on X that there was a link between the report in the Aftonbladet tabloid and his hearing before a French league committee on Tuesday in his bitter dispute over unpaid wages with his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
"FAKE NEWS !!!!. It's becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance," wrote Mbappe.
His entourage called the report a "slanderous rumour" and threatened to take legal action.
Mbappe claims he is owed $60 million by the Qatari-owned French champions.
The 2018 World Cup winner was not selected for France's Nations League fixtures last week, and spent Thursday and Friday in the Swedish capital where he dined at a restaurant with a group of people.
According to Aftonbladet's report, the French footballer then went to a nightclub, according to Aftonbladet's report.
The newspaper said a rape was committed "in Stockholm city centre", citing a formal complaint made to police on Saturday that it had seen.
Aftonbladet said the complaint was made after the alleged victim had sought medical attention but did not say who was named in the accusation.
"A probe is under way into a crime that was reported on October 10 in the centre of Stockholm," a prosecutor investigating the accusation told AFP.
Swedish police refused to give any further details.
"In general, if we have received a complaint and decided to conduct interviews and we make it known (to the public), those involved in the case may take actions that delay and complicate the investigation," said police spokeswoman Carina Skagerlind.
The Swedish newspaper published photos on its website on Monday showing police officers in front of the hotel where Mbappe and the group with him had stayed.
Mbappe's entourage said in a statement sent to AFP: "Today, a new slanderous rumour is starting to spread across the web from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.
"These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.
"In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappe), all necessary legal actions will be taken to re-establish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe is suffering repeatedly," the statement added.
A source close to PSG said that it would "ignore" Mbappe's claim that there was a link between the report in Sweden and his dispute with the club.
Mbappe joined Madrid in the summer after seven years at PSG.
