Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé seem destined to cross paths sooner or later, although it looks like Los Blancos initially planned to do so later.
Paris Saint-Germain, however, want to transfer the Frenchman this summer, in order to prevent him from leaving for free. He believes he has already agreed to sign for Real Madrid next summer when his contract with PSG comes to an end.
So far, he has refused to leave and is pushing ahead with his plan to finish his contract with Paris, who hope Real Madrid will broker a deal with him for the French star.
According to Jonathan Johnson, speaking in his exclusive column with Caught Offside, PSG believe the signing bonus Real Madrid have promised him is partly to blame for his reluctance to force a transfer this summer. According to his information, the Ile-de-France club thinks that the bonus could amount to 160 million euros.
If so, his signing bonus would come third, behind his own move from AS Monaco to PSG and Neymar’s to FC Barcelona, in terms of record transfer fees.
Real Madrid would arguably prefer the money to go to Mbappé rather than PSG in the form of a transfer fee, provided they are content to see him arrive next summer.
This development is part of a larger shift that has seen players exercise their value in the market, wait for their contract to expire and then maximize their value in the market – much like in the NBA or the NFL.
