Mbappe set for Real after telling PSG he will leave

REAL MADRID have the green light to sign Kylian Mbappe after the France star told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club when his contract expires this summer. Madrid’s seven-year pursuit of the 25-year-old has left them frustrated and embarrassed and they wanted a public show from Mbappe that he intended to leave the French club this time before making their move. Mbappe’s decision not to renew leaves the path clear for the La Liga leaders to close the signing. It has also been interpreted as a clear signal Mbappe is prepared to drop his financial demands. Fourteen-time European Cup winners Madrid have always maintained they would not compete financially with PSG. The Spanish club’s unwillingness to smash their wage structure to match the £21.4million annual salary the Frenchman earns in Paris after tax is no longer a problem, as there would be no transfer fee to pay. Mail Sport understands Madrid are willing to make Mbappe the club’s top earner, surpassing the £10.3m per season they pay Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. They will also pay a signing-on fee of around £85.5m and open talks over what percentage of his image rights he retains. The player’s mother Fayza Lamari wants Madrid to abandon their usual 50-50 split between club and player, and Madrid president Florentino Perez is likely to cede to those demands. Mbappe is expected to take the No 10 shirt that Luka Modric will vacate in the summer. His arrival would give Madrid a forward line of Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo, supported by Bellingham.