Real Madrid have made a breakthrough in their well-documented pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe as he agrees to move to Spain at the end of the season, according to a report in Germany.
Bild have revealed that the World Cup winner has finally agreed to join Real Madrid as a free agent when his contract in Paris expires in June.
PSG turned down two bids, the second at £154million, from Real Madrid for Mbappe last summer in the hope of convincing their star man to stay but the latest bombshell from Germany is that bosses at the French club have failed to make a compelling argument to the player.
A report in Germany has said Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe have agreed a summer switch
Mbappe has long been Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s top priority and he is now reportedly months away from landing the 23-year-old.
The Bild report goes on to detail that Mbappe, who would walk into the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent, is to get a mega deal worth He will reportedly pull in £41.5m per year in wages.
PSG, who face Real Madrid in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League, have been angered at the pursuit of Mbappe from the Spanish side.
Back in August, PSG sporting director Leonardo accused his counterparts at Real Madrid of ‘illegal’ behaviour, accusing them of directly contacting Mbappe and his camp.
Mbappe is playing a starring role under Mauricio Pochettino in a side that has Lionel Messi
Mbappe, just 23, is Real Madrid’s top target but PSG rejected their £154m bid last summer
‘For the last two years, Real Madrid have been behaving like this, it is not correct, illegal even because they contacted the player. It is unacceptable for us, because it is not correct,’ Leonardo said.
‘It is proof of the strategy: an offer comes one year before the end of his contract and seven days before the end of the window.
‘They want us to reject, to show to Kylian that they tried everything and to start negotiating for next year.’
Mbappe is viewed as one of the most impressive players in world football and he perfectly fits the bill for Real Madrid’s long-established ‘Galactico’ transfer policy.
The World Cup-winning striker moved to PSG initially on loan from Monaco in 2017, where he has gone on to elevate his game to even greater heights.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez (left) has made no secret of his desire to sign Mbappe
The striker is out of contract in the summer and PSG chiefs have tried to get him on a new deal
That loan deal developed into a £166m permanent switch and he has been a revelation in Paris, knocking in 151 goals in 199 games. He has 77 assists to his name, too.
PSG are closing in on the Ligue 1 title this season, something Mbappe has won three times already in Paris.
Alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi, he is looking to avenge the disappointment of being beaten in the 2019 Champions League final by Bayern Munich – but he would need to knock Real Madrid out en route if he is to do so.
Many feel the time is now for Mbappe, who is viewed as a perennial Ballon d’Or contender in the years to come, to take his talents to Spain, and those include outspoken AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic believes Mbappe will learn more and grow as an athlete if he completes the switch.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Mbappe will learn more and grow as an athlete if he makes the switch
Speaking about Mbappe’s future earlier this month, Ibrahimovic told L’Equipe: ‘Only Kylian can answer you about where he has to go. It depends on what he wants, what he thinks.
‘Me, I would have gone. But if I am PSG, I would try to keep him. It’s him who will decide. PSG want to keep him, obviously, but does he want to stay?
‘I also think that there are other clubs that want him: if you are a manager, and you have the means and you do not want to take Mbappe, you are in the wrong business. He asked me, yes, and I told him: “If I were you, I would go to Real”.
‘I had the chance to play in different teams, different countries, with different champions, and that’s how I learned and grew.’
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