Potential Mbappe arrival excites Madrid fans

MADRID – Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe seems to be edging towards a Real Madrid move, with excitement already building in the Spanish capital.

The 25-year-old France captain informed PSG officials he intends to leave in the summer at the end of his contract, a source close to the Ligue 1 champions said on Thursday.

Madrid are in pole position to sign a player whom they have moved for several times in the past only to be rebuffed, although they declined to comment when asked by AFP. Spanish media report Madrid’s offer to Mbappe is lower than in 2022 when he decided to renew his PSG contract, with Cadena SER saying he wants €50 million gross a season along with a hefty €120-million signing-on bonus. With the numbers and financial fair play impact left for Madrid’s accountants to manage, supporters and local media are starting to dream of what may come.

Countdown

“The countdown has started,” wrote Madrid-based national newspaper Marca.

“Seven years later everything points to Mbappe’s arrival being a reality from July 1.”

Mbappe had the chance to join Madrid from Monaco in 2017 but chose PSG instead, perhaps cowed by the difficulty of ousting Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema from the attack.

Now he could lead the line alongside Vinicius Junior and

Jude Bellingham.

“That would be perfect,” Luis Caceres, the President of Real Madrid’s fan club federation told AFP.

“He’s the best player in the world, that’s undeniable. We’ve seen him play and we know what he can do, he’s a great player.”

Mbappe, yet to win the Champions League, could yet cross paths with record 14-time winners Madrid in this year’s competition.