In a Friday announcement, Mbappe said that he would be leaving Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires in June.
After joining the French champions from Monaco in 2017, he has 306 appearances under his belt and 255 goals to show for it.
Although the France international remained tight-lipped about his next club, he will most likely be on his way out of PSG and into Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old’s name has been associated with Los Blancos’ transfer rumors for a while. A five-year deal with the La Liga heavyweights was supposedly already in the works for Mbappe in February.
The attacker will play for France at the European Championship this summer. Thus, the official confirmation of his transfer to the Spani’s capital will likely occur before the tournament. On June 17, France will face Austria in the first match of their Euro 2024 campaign. They will next face the Netherlands and Poland.
Many consider France and England the favorite teams to win the championship. But before the tournament begins, the national team plays two friendly matches against Luxembourg and Canada.
The 25-year-old superstar is certain to start in one of those games.
But as far as soccer transfer records go, Mbappe is widely believed to be the most expensive free agent ever. Being a free agent means the French ace may cash in big at his future club.
The arrival of Kylian Mbappe next month will propel Real Madrid to the position of the highest-paid player in the club and the league. A three-year agreement is allegedly waiting for the French captain in the Spanish city, French site RMC Sport says. Negotiations are allegedly already underway.
Nonetheless, the discussions are becoming quite technical. Mbappe’s camp is demanding a blockbuster wage and a larger percentage of image rights than Real Madrid would ordinarily provide.
He is expected to make more than $22.6 million per year in basic pay or $27 million after tax, which would eclipse the incomes of current club top earners like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius. That would therefore solidify his position as the Whites’ leading earner for the next season.
Compared to the current team’s top earners, that is almost twice as much. The list includes Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, and David Alaba, who each make a little under $11.8 million per year.
At the same time, players like Antonio Rudiger, Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and Vinicius reportedly make around $8.6 million each year. In contrast, Rodrygo, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Ferland Mendy each get $6.4 million.
Consequently, it’s not hard to see how Los Blancos’ current roster may become more fractured as a result of Mbappe’s mooted transfer; particularly considering the salary gap and the team’s performance on the field even without the Frenchman.
Despite surpassing all others as Real Madrid’s top earner, Mbappe has reportedly accepted a pay cut in order to join his new team. At PSG, he allegedly made $6.3 million weekly, for a total of $77.3 million before taxes last year.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Alex Perez
