Kylian Mbappe will be given until mid-January to decide if he wants to join Real Madrid
Real Madrid will make a fresh attempt to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain — and have given the forward a deadline to decide if he wants to join them this summer.
As of January 1, Mbappe will be in the final six months of his PSG contract, which means he will be free to negotiate with other clubs ahead of a potential free transfer.
Real Madrid believe they have learned from the mistakes made in the summer of 2022 when they thought they would sign the Frenchman, only for him to agree a new deal at PSG instead.
The La Liga side have made it clear to the 25-year-old that, if he wants to join them, he must make a decision before mid-January.
Some at Real Madrid felt betrayed when, in May 2022, Mbappe chose to renew with PSG. But despite that, contact between the two parties has never completely disappeared, as The Athletic outlined in January 2023.
The deal that was on the table in 2022 is now likely to be different, however.
The rising cost of the works at the Santiago Bernabeu have limited Real Madrid’s spending power in the transfer market, and the club’s priority is to make a profit every year — something they even managed to achieve during the pandemic.
The club are also conscious of maintaining peace in the dressing room. Real Madrid have long been trying to control the wage bill, and Mbappe would expect to arrive on more than double the salary of the current stars, a factor that is always a sensitive one behind closed doors.
Jude Bellingham, for instance, has told team-mates that he rejected better financial offers to join Real Madrid last summer and it is likely Mbappe would have to follow a similar path, just as Aurelien Tchouameni did in 2022.
Everyone at Valdebebas wants Mbappe to strengthen the team, from head coach Carlo Ancelotti — who has just agreed a new deal until 2026 — to players including Vinicius Junior, who corresponds with Mbappe on social media. Whether they will get their wish is unclear.
Mbappe has direct contact with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who remains a huge supporter of his signing, despite the false dawns of recent years. But, if talks progress, negotiations will be conducted by Jose Angel Sanchez, Real Madrid’s general manager, and Fayza Lamari and Delphine Verheyden, Mbappe’s mother and lawyer respectively. The involvement of an intermediary has not been ruled out either, as was the case in 2021 and 2022.
At PSG, the feeling now is that Mbappe could extend his stay in Paris again. Some in Paris do not think that Real Madrid will offer Mbappe the financial package he wants.
The French club feel sufficiently protected — in both a sporting and financial sense — after the events of July and August, but given the unpredictable situation, no outcome would surprise them.
Last summer, Mbappe was sent to the “loft” — a group of players who were not seen as part of PSG’s first-team plans — and then left out of the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
He was put up for sale, with the Ligue 1 champions believing he intended to let his contract expire then join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer.
There was also a world-record offer of €300m from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and the French club granted permission for them to speak to Mbappe, before he was eventually “reinstated” into the first team.
The Athletic
Real Madrid will make a fresh attempt to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain — and have given the forward a deadline to decide if he wants to join them this summer.
As of January 1, Mbappe will be in the final six months of his PSG contract, which means he will be free to negotiate with other clubs ahead of a potential free transfer.
Real Madrid believe they have learned from the mistakes made in the summer of 2022 when they thought they would sign the Frenchman, only for him to agree a new deal at PSG instead.
The La Liga side have made it clear to the 25-year-old that, if he wants to join them, he must make a decision before mid-January.
Some at Real Madrid felt betrayed when, in May 2022, Mbappe chose to renew with PSG. But despite that, contact between the two parties has never completely disappeared, as The Athletic outlined in January 2023.
The deal that was on the table in 2022 is now likely to be different, however.
The rising cost of the works at the Santiago Bernabeu have limited Real Madrid’s spending power in the transfer market, and the club’s priority is to make a profit every year — something they even managed to achieve during the pandemic.
The club are also conscious of maintaining peace in the dressing room. Real Madrid have long been trying to control the wage bill, and Mbappe would expect to arrive on more than double the salary of the current stars, a factor that is always a sensitive one behind closed doors.
Jude Bellingham, for instance, has told team-mates that he rejected better financial offers to join Real Madrid last summer and it is likely Mbappe would have to follow a similar path, just as Aurelien Tchouameni did in 2022.
Everyone at Valdebebas wants Mbappe to strengthen the team, from head coach Carlo Ancelotti — who has just agreed a new deal until 2026 — to players including Vinicius Junior, who corresponds with Mbappe on social media. Whether they will get their wish is unclear.
Mbappe has direct contact with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who remains a huge supporter of his signing, despite the false dawns of recent years. But, if talks progress, negotiations will be conducted by Jose Angel Sanchez, Real Madrid’s general manager, and Fayza Lamari and Delphine Verheyden, Mbappe’s mother and lawyer respectively. The involvement of an intermediary has not been ruled out either, as was the case in 2021 and 2022.
At PSG, the feeling now is that Mbappe could extend his stay in Paris again. Some in Paris do not think that Real Madrid will offer Mbappe the financial package he wants.
The French club feel sufficiently protected — in both a sporting and financial sense — after the events of July and August, but given the unpredictable situation, no outcome would surprise them.
Last summer, Mbappe was sent to the “loft” — a group of players who were not seen as part of PSG’s first-team plans — and then left out of the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
He was put up for sale, with the Ligue 1 champions believing he intended to let his contract expire then join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer.
There was also a world-record offer of €300m from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and the French club granted permission for them to speak to Mbappe, before he was eventually “reinstated” into the first team.
The Athletic
Real Madrid will make a fresh attempt to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain — and have given the forward a deadline to decide if he wants to join them this summer.
As of January 1, Mbappe will be in the final six months of his PSG contract, which means he will be free to negotiate with other clubs ahead of a potential free transfer.
Real Madrid believe they have learned from the mistakes made in the summer of 2022 when they thought they would sign the Frenchman, only for him to agree a new deal at PSG instead.
The La Liga side have made it clear to the 25-year-old that, if he wants to join them, he must make a decision before mid-January.
Some at Real Madrid felt betrayed when, in May 2022, Mbappe chose to renew with PSG. But despite that, contact between the two parties has never completely disappeared, as The Athletic outlined in January 2023.
The deal that was on the table in 2022 is now likely to be different, however.
The rising cost of the works at the Santiago Bernabeu have limited Real Madrid’s spending power in the transfer market, and the club’s priority is to make a profit every year — something they even managed to achieve during the pandemic.
The club are also conscious of maintaining peace in the dressing room. Real Madrid have long been trying to control the wage bill, and Mbappe would expect to arrive on more than double the salary of the current stars, a factor that is always a sensitive one behind closed doors.
Jude Bellingham, for instance, has told team-mates that he rejected better financial offers to join Real Madrid last summer and it is likely Mbappe would have to follow a similar path, just as Aurelien Tchouameni did in 2022.
Everyone at Valdebebas wants Mbappe to strengthen the team, from head coach Carlo Ancelotti — who has just agreed a new deal until 2026 — to players including Vinicius Junior, who corresponds with Mbappe on social media. Whether they will get their wish is unclear.
Mbappe has direct contact with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who remains a huge supporter of his signing, despite the false dawns of recent years. But, if talks progress, negotiations will be conducted by Jose Angel Sanchez, Real Madrid’s general manager, and Fayza Lamari and Delphine Verheyden, Mbappe’s mother and lawyer respectively. The involvement of an intermediary has not been ruled out either, as was the case in 2021 and 2022.
At PSG, the feeling now is that Mbappe could extend his stay in Paris again. Some in Paris do not think that Real Madrid will offer Mbappe the financial package he wants.
The French club feel sufficiently protected — in both a sporting and financial sense — after the events of July and August, but given the unpredictable situation, no outcome would surprise them.
Last summer, Mbappe was sent to the “loft” — a group of players who were not seen as part of PSG’s first-team plans — and then left out of the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
He was put up for sale, with the Ligue 1 champions believing he intended to let his contract expire then join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer.
There was also a world-record offer of €300m from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and the French club granted permission for them to speak to Mbappe, before he was eventually “reinstated” into the first team.
The Athletic
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Kylian Mbappe will be given until mid-January to decide if he wants to join Real Madrid
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