The Paris Saint-Germain forward is out of contract at the end of the season and has yet to decide his long-term future with rumoured interest from Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and other Premier League clubs.
The Independent claims that Liverpool and Arsenal ‘have been explored but neither wants to break their wage structure to go for him’ this summer, which leaves Real Madrid a free run at the World Cup winner.
There were reports yesterday that the deal to Madrid had hit a stumbling block with the La Liga giants yet to meet Mbappe’s wage demands and now Romano has clarified the latest situation surrounding his future.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Real Madrid are working hard on the Kylian Mbappe deal – they are advancing with confidence, even if nothing has been signed yet.
“Obviously I’ve had a lot of questions about this deal as several outlets have made strong claims on the Mbappe situation, so I wanted to clarify with my understanding of where it stands with Mbappe and Real Madrid.
“As one of the biggest names in world football, we hear lots of stories about Mbappe in almost every transfer window, with sources saying he’s going here or he’s going there, so it’s not the first time we’ve had reports like this.
“I respect all the information that’s out there but I’m just here to say what I’m hearing and the crucial point that an important formal step will be Mbappe’s formal communication to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. It’s not just a formal step, it’s a crucial step because that’s what they decided in the summer after what had been a very tense situation at the club when he was not travelling with the squad, missing pre-season with the team.
“The only way out of this was to make a pact, so Mbappe made a pact with PSG and said he was prepared to lose out on an €80m loyalty bonus. So if he joins Real Madrid, PSG will not pay the €80m loyalty bonus, but part of this gentleman’s agreement as well is that Mbappe has to inform Al-Khelaifi before anyone else of his decision. This is a key part of keeping a good relationship in the next steps of the story.
“At the time of writing, this communication has still not arrived – there is no formal communication to PSG or to Al-Khelaifi, and also nothing has been signed. From my personal experience, from what has happened over the years when we’ve heard many times that Mbappe has signed for Real Madrid and then the situation changed, it is important to respect you and to give the clearest information I can. For me, the best way to do this is to communicate when it’s really a done deal, and that will be when Mbappe informs PSG and Al-Khelaifi, so I will keep you posted on that step.
“Could it happen soon? Yes. The feeling from sources at PSG, Real Madrid and Mbappe, the decision could come soon. Not in June or July, the feeling is that will be soon. Real Madrid are very confident this time after the exchanges with Mbappe, and this time the feeling is different, it is positive, with people close to Florentino Perez feeling the player is ready to take this step and move to the Bernabeu.”
Romano added: “Another crucial detail to be aware of – in case Mbappe accepts this proposal from Real Madrid, the salary he’d be taking would be very different from what he currently earns at PSG. I can’t say precisely how much right now, but if he completes the move, it would be a lower salary – this is important, because Real Madrid have always wanted Mbappe, but on their conditions. Still, the Spanish giants feel their exchange has been very positive.
“It’s true that every day in the dressing room at Real Madrid they speak about Mbappe, and the feeling inside the club this time is that it’s really, really close. Soon it will be time for formal communications, to sign contracts, and then for Mbappe to announce his decision, and it could be soon. I don’t know yet what kind of position Mbappe would play for the team, whether he’d be central or if he would compete with Vinicius on the left, but in many ways I think that’s the least worrying issue when you’re talking about an elite talent like Mbappe.
“PSG are still waiting, but they are also preparing a plan to keep Mbappe, they still hope to keep him. They also have a plan in place, after internal discussions, on how to go forward without Mbappe. The president, the board, and the manager have a backup plan as they know it is concrete that Mbappe could leave.
“The plan involves three players – they want to recruit important players in midfield and centre-back, and then obviously a player up front to replace Mbappe. This is probably also a good indication for Real Madrid.”
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