Kylian Mbappe 'has SIGNED his Real Madrid contract': 'Marca'

A fortnight ago, Kylian Mbappe reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign him as a free agent from July this year, when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires. The newspaper 'Marca' published it on Monday morning, when it reports that negotiations have been going on since the beginning of January, when 'Los Blancos' approached the striker's entourage to comply with FIFA and UEFA's conditions regarding talking to players who will be released in 6 months or less.

He will earn between 15 and 20 million euros net at the Santiago Bernabeu outfit. This will be the highest salary in the squad, although not by a sidereal distance to the rest, headed by the salaries of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and David Alaba. In 2022, the 'Merengues' offices had proposed the Frenchman to earn up to 26 million euros, but the demands have been reduced both in this sense and in the concept of signing bonus.

Two years ago, the emissaries of the Spanish side were willing to provide the French superstar a compensation of 130 million for the mere fact of signing his contract. According to the newspaper mentioned in the first paragraph, this figure has been "slightly reduced", although the details are not disclosed, but it is likely to be around 100 million anyway.

The main sticking point in the negotiations has been over his image rights. Madrid president Florentino Pérez ordered Jose Angel Sanchez, his general manager, to work to get Mbappe to lower his demands in this regard. He has succeeded and this progress, in parallel to the Frenchman agreeing to be paid considerably less than he was - or still is - at PSG, has been key to reaching an agreement.

Another fundamental aspect of the agreement was the good relations between the player and the 'Merengues' chief, to whom Mbappe phoned to apologise personally when, in 2022, he ended up opting to renew with Paris Saint-Germain. This time, he has told the bosses at the Parc des Princes not to even try to make him a new proposal because he had already decided to leave.

Thus, the key figures in talks have been Florentino Perez as president of Madrid, Jose Angel Sanchez as general manager, Delphine Verheyden as his lawyer, and Fayza Lamari, his mother, who runs his Foundation using around 30% of what her son generates in football. 'Marca' mentions that a big club on the European scene tried to get involved these days, but that the Frenchman declined their approach without hesitation. It may have been Manchester City, about whom the 'SER' channel has already warned of an approach.

 

February 19, 2024