In 2021, Real Madrid made an offer of €180 million to Paris Saint-Germain to land French superstar Kylian Mbappe but it was turned down by the Ligue 1 giants.
Three years later, Florentino Perez’s Madrid landed their key transfer target without paying PSG a penny following the expiration of his contract in the French capital.
Mbappe has been a long-term target for Real Madrid since he first visited the club’s training facilities at the age of 14 but the Spanish club lost the teenage sensation to the AS Monaco youth academy.
How Real Madrid landed Mbappe
Mbappe’s transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu was a game of patience and a strategic move by club president, Florentino Perez.
Perez has never hidden his admiration for the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner since he visited the club’s facilities in Valdebebas on the invitation of former coach and French legend, Zinedine Zidane.
Just a year ago, there were reports of big money offers from Saudi Arabia to lure Mbappe to the Middle East, however, Madrid has always been his dream regardless of any offer.
Perez’s strategic move comes in with the negotiation of salary as Real Madrid clearly cannot match his take-home at PSG due to financial rules imposed by UEFA and La Liga.
The Blancos were able to negotiate a wages of €288,000 per week with Mbappe, which lesser than the over €1.3 million per week he was paid at PSG.
However, the huge signing fee set at around €150 million will make up for the sizeable drop-off and it will be paid over the duration of his five-year contract.
Regardless of the financial implications, Mbappe brings his blistering scoring form to Real Madrid after a historic seven-year stay at Parc des Princes where he cemented his place as the club’s all-time leading top scorer with 266 goals in 308 matches across all competitions.
The 25-year-old will be expected to lead the attack for Carlo Ancelotti’s youthful team which has Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Endrick.
Mbappe’s adventure at Real Madrid will begin in United States on July 31 with a pre-season game against AC Milan in Chicago but his first competitive match would be the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta in Warsaw, Poland on August 14.
