Mbappe’s Madrid deal already done, claims report
The uncertainty over the future of Kylian Mbappe appears to be coming to an end, with Spanish outlet Marca reporting on Monday that the French superstar has already signed a contract with Real Madrid.
Mbappe last week informed Paris Saint-Germain he intended to leave the Ligue 1 giant this summer, with his preferred destination long known to be Madrid. In 2022, Madrid was on the brink of signing Mbappe before a change of heart saw him pen a contract extension at PSG.
A host of other clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, have also been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, however Marca claims the Madrid move is a done deal.
The newspaper, which is closely linked to Madrid, reports that Mbappe signed a contract two weeks ago to join Los Blancos in a five-year deal, and he will earn an annual salary of between 15-20 million euros ($16-21.5 million) after tax. The deal also reportedly includes performance-related bonuses.
Mbappe will also receive a bonus of 50 million euros for joining the Spanish giant without the club having to pay a transfer fee as he will be out of contract at PSG.
If the report’s figures prove correct, the French international is taking a significant salary cut from his time at PSG, where he has been paid 32 million euros annually over the last two years.
Marca claims Mbappe’s entourage has accepted these reduced terms due to the likely increase in sponsorship deals that will come his way thanks to Madrid’s global prestige.
Although the contract won’t be confirmed by the club until the end of the current season, Marca reports that Mbappe will officially be presented to fans and media in early July.
The Marca report states: “When the player met with PSG last Tuesday to inform them that he would be leaving the club on June 30, he asked him not to be presented with any new renewal offer. The reason was that he had already signed his signature on the contract that will tie him to Real Madrid for five seasons, as had been suspected in Paris for some time.
“At that point, PSG was already more interested in its star player fulfilling the commitment agreed in the summer to waive a very significant amount, the third installment of the loyalty bonus, to allow him to rejoin the first team.
“The script of this final chapter in the negotiation has been followed scrupulously both by Real Madrid, who wanted to avoid any slightest irregularity that could give PSG grounds to protest to UEFA and FIFA, and by the player, aware that after what happened in May 2022 he needed to ‘reconcile’ with the Madrid club’s directors and above all with its fans.
“In the first days of January, once his contract was entering the last six months of duration, Los Blancos contacted Mbappe’s entourage to find out if the plan agreed in May last year was still in force and there were no changes. The answer was positive. When eight months earlier he informed the Parisian club by letter that he was waiving the optional third season on his contract, he had already made a firm decision: his destination would be Real Madrid.”
The news appears to end the long-running saga over the 2018 World Cup winner’s future at PSG, whom he joined, initially on loan from Monaco, in 2017.
Mbappe started PSG’s 2-0 win at Nantes on Saturday on the bench, before coming on to score a 78thminute penalty. He also netted in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Real Sociedad. The forward has scored a total of 32 goals in all competitions this season, despite the speculation over his future.
Mbappe’s impending arrival at Madrid, and in particular his linkup with Jude Bellingham, is an intimidating prospect for the rest of Europe’s elite clubs.
Since joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer, Bellingham has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, finding the net 20 times in all competitions, with 16 of those goals coming in La Liga.
Bellingham’s form has fired Madrid six points clear at the top of La Liga, and the club is also chasing glory in the Champions League.
Mbappe will not be the only new arrival at the Bernabeu this summer, with 17-year-old Brazilian international Endrick also set to join after the club confirmed his signing just over a year ago.