Kylian Mbappe has plans to swap the French capital for its Spanish counterpart, and has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires.
The World Cup winner is expected to sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid and will be paid more than $16 million a season, according to Guillem Balague. Mbappe will also receive a signing bonus worth more than $162 million that will be paid out over the course of the deal and will hang onto a percentage of his image rights.
No contracts have been signed yet, and an announcement is not anticipated until after the possibility of Real Madrid facing PSG in UEFA Champions League action this season is officially off the table. Both are currently still in the competition and won their first leg ties last week against RB Leipzig and Real Sociedad, respectively.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has also already mapped out where Mbappe will play, according to Balague, slotting him in either in the center or the left side of the attack. Vinicius Junior is expected to play on the left, while this season's breakout star Jude Bellingham will take on a deeper midfield role.
News of Mbappe's move to Madrid comes just days after he reportedly told PSG executives that he would opt to leave at the end of the season, and after a longstanding campaign by the Spanish club to land his signature. Los Blancos previously attempted to sign Mbappe in the summer of 2022, when he renewed his deal with PSG instead, but the club has always been publicly positioned as the natural next step for the player and complete Real Madrid's latest aspirations to build a superteam.
"[Kylian Mbappe's] wages have been reduced drastically... He was going to release €200M a year. He's not going to be earning that at Real Madrid."@GuillemBalague with the latest on Kylian Mbappe's potential move to Real Madrid. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/O6SiUMHkGA
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 20, 2024
The fact that the Frenchman is close to joining the Spanish club suggests that the parties overcame a recent negotiating hurdle. Mbappe's team was unhappy with one of Madrid's most recent offers, according to The Athletic, which was lower than what they offered in 2022 but would still make him the highest-paid player on the squad.
Another potential stumbling block that may no longer be a problem is Mbappe's participation in the Paris Olympics this summer. The player has publicly expressed his desire to compete as an overage player in an attempt to win gold with a team coached by France legend Thierry Henry, but the July competition comes just weeks after Mbappe is expected to wrap up a spell with France's senior national team at the Euros. Though Henry has yet to publicly comment on Mbappe's likelihood of joining the Olympics squad, a stint with them would almost certainly delay his Real Madrid debut.
Madrid has always been Mbappe's most ardent suitor, but the player has chosen the club despite some interest from Premier League clubs. Liverpool was reportedly in the mix, and Arsenal was name-dropped in the conversation last week.
