Kylian Mbappé's transfer to Real Madrid: the complete inside story

Real Madrid has been trying to get Kylian Mbappé for years, and now they finally have their man.

The signing of the 25-year-old Frenchman was confirmed this Monday, more than two years after the previous attempt to sign him.

In May 2022, Mbappé dramatically rejected a move to Madrid and made the last-minute decision to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. This time, things have gone much better and there is great excitement among everyone in Madrid for the arrival of one of the best players in the world, especially with the team that has just won the club's 15th European Cup/Champions League already uniting young talents. .

But that doesn't mean the free agent transfer was without intrigue, nor was it entirely without opposition.

This is the full story of how Madrid finally signed Mbappé.

The beginning of 2024 marked the beginning of the end.

In early January, at the Valdebebas training complex in Madrid, where the club's offices are also located, it was agreed that a last attempt would be made to sign Mbappé.

Several meetings were held on the subject, but some senior officials in Madrid were not convinced that it was a good idea.

The idea behind this was twofold. Firstly, there were concerns that the club's interests could be harmed again following Mbappé's rejection two years ago. Others simply thought it was not the right time, both for sporting and economic reasons.

Some preferred to be more cautious with the club's finances, which are in good shape, even with the extensive refurbishment of its Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which will cost at least €1.3bn (£1.1bn; $1.4bn at the current rate). current change).

Some thought the positive atmosphere in the dressing room could be affected by the fact that Mbappé came in as the highest-paid player when the vast majority of his new teammates had won more trophies for the club. Some thought Madrid could manage well without him, especially with the arrival of 17-year-old Brazilian Endrick and the team already performing admirably.

In short: it was believed that the Madrid project was working very well without Mbappé.

However, club president Florentino Pérez decided that another attempt would be made, taking into account the factors mentioned above. It was also decided to give Mbappé a deadline to respond to this new proposal, the terms of which would be less than those of 2022. According to sources familiar with those previous conversations, like all the sources cited in this article, they preferred to speak anonymously to protect the Relationships: Mbappé was offered a six-year contract with a signing bonus of 130 million euros and a salary of 26 million euros per year.

Mbappé made his first move on January 3 when, without consulting PSG, he stopped to speak to journalists after PSG beat Toulouse in the Trophee des Champions, a match between the winners of Ligue 1 and the French Cup. France from the previous season, very similar to the Community Shield in England.

“In 2022, I didn't know my decision until May,” Mbappé said in response to questions about his future: being the beginning of a new year, he was now in the last six months of his contract and was free to negotiate with interested clubs.

“If I know what I want to do, I shouldn't let the decision drag out. “It wouldn't make any sense.”

Meanwhile, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the club wanted him to stay: “He is the best player in the world and the best thing for him is PSG. He is at the heart of the project. “I ask everyone to leave Kylian alone.”

Mbappé's words were interpreted positively in the Spanish capital, where Madrid was already working on the details of its offer. When in the following days the proposal reached the player's entourage, the club made it known that his salary (the offer was for little more than what Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were earning) and his signing would make him their best player. paid.

Pérez was in regular contact with Mbappé during this process, something unusual for the Madrid president. Normally, negotiations are carried out by his right-hand man, his general director, José Ángel Sánchez. Mbappé told Pérez that he was interested in the move. Meanwhile, Madrid insisted, in statements to the media, that it had no interest in the player. But the reality was quite different, as The Athletic denounced on numerous occasions.

Sánchez traveled to Paris before Madrid took part in the four-club Spanish Super Cup, which was played in Saudi Arabia from January 10-14. He returned full of optimism, another good sign, since he is usually cautious and very restrained.

At the end of that month, everyone in Madrid believed that an agreement would be reached. But there was still no definitive agreement. Some people close to Mbappé were not as clear about the movement as he was.

Pérez, photographed at a Madrid match in January (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

As reported by The Athletic In mid-February, influential members of his entourage were not convinced by the offer because it was below what he was doing at PSG and he could make money with another possible suitor.

In conversation with Pérez, the president explained that signing for Madrid would take the player's profile to another sporting and commercial level, which would contribute to generating more personal income. With some exceptions such as Vinicius Jr, the division in Madrid for image rights is usually 50 percent for the club and 50 percent for the player, although the proportion for Mbappé is expected to be in his favor.

PSG sources still believed Mbappé was likely to leave. They recalled that last summer he had already decided not to accept the option of staying another year and they knew that he had repeatedly expressed his admiration for Madrid.

But these sources also explained that PSG felt “financially protected.” They outlined an agreement in principle with Mbappe that would allow the club to be financially compensated if he left after his contract expired on June 30. They said it was a complex deal that covered several scenarios, including the France captain giving up certain loyalty bonuses he might otherwise have been entitled to. Mbappé himself also spoke of “all parties being protected” when he leaves, and discussions on this aspect are still ongoing.

It remains to be seen exactly what agreement, if any, Mbappé and PSG reach in this regard. But the French champions have always been keen to stress that any departure of the striker at the end of the 2023-24 season would not be a “free transfer” in their eyes.

Mbappé and Al-Khelaifi, photographed after PSG's victory in the French Cup (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

Then a key event occurred.

On Tuesday, February 13, Real Madrid played as a visitor against RB Leipzig in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. Senior club figures traveled with privileged information. They had been told that Mbappé would inform PSG of his decision to leave at the end of the season.

The news was not made public until Thursday, but with the Madrid squad still in Germany, the club's board of directors informed coach Carlo Ancelotti. Without being told if Mbappé had signed a contract, the Italian was made to understand that he could count on having the forward in his squad for next season.

About ten days later, Mbappé was seen on Spanish soil, but in Barcelona, ​​not Madrid, enjoying a few days of rest. A source said The Athletic He had first gone to the capital to sign his contract.

Just this week, in early June, two more sources shared more information about the February talks. They said that was when Mbappé's move was sealed.

The final stages of the negotiations were carried out in the utmost secrecy. Madrid tends to operate this way, but sources involved in the deal also said that Mbappé's mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, requested that there be no leak so that her son would be as protected as possible during his final months with PSG.

Mbappé scored 44 goals in 48 games for PSG last season (Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Some tensions between Mbappé and PSG followed, with manager Luis Enrique occasionally replacing him or leaving him out entirely. “We have to get used to playing without him,” the Spaniard said in March.

After being replaced at half-time of a goalless draw against Monaco, his first professional club, on March 1, Mbappé sat in the stands with his family rather than on the bench with his teammates. Just a few rows away, members of PSG's board of directors were watching the rest of the match, and reports said there was a heated conversation between them and his mother. Madrid and the players' camp believe that PSG sanctioned Mbappé by reducing his playing time. Sources from the French club rule out that this is false.

The end was approaching, but the fact that both PSG and Madrid were still competing in the Champions League contributed to the strategy of total discretion. However, three days after PSG were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals, Mbappé made public his decision to leave.

“I need a new challenge after seven years,” he said, while thanking almost everyone at the club (in particular, Al-Khelaifi was not mentioned), but they didn't know it was coming.

Mbappé wanted to make the announcement before the last game of the season at PSG's home, on Sunday, May 12. The club decided not to organize anything special for him, but the team's ultras (with whom Mbappé had shared a barbecue on Friday) dedicated a huge tifo to him.

The following Monday, Le Parisien newspaper reported that, in the run-up to the match, Al-Khelaifi and Mbappé had argued, with the former reproaching the latter for not mentioning him in his farewell video.

THANK YOU. @PSG_interior pic.twitter.com/t0cL2wPpjX

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappé) May 10, 2024

A PSG source strongly denied that this had happened, adding that an agreement had almost been reached with Mbappé on the financial terms of his departure.

Later that Monday, Mbappé was named Ligue 1 player of the year for the fifth consecutive season. In his acceptance speech he recognized Al-Khelaifi, who in 2021, 2022 and 2023 reiterated that his star player would not leave PSG for free.

“The new chapter will be very exciting,” Mbappé said of his next move, without revealing the identity of his next club. “Maybe it's not the time (for everyone) to find out.”

It was always expected that the big reveal would come after the Champions League final last Saturday. Madrid did not want anything, not even the biggest signing it had ever made, to distract attention from something so important and difficult to achieve.

Early on Monday, two days after the club won its record 15th European Cup/Champions League title, The Athletic reported that the announcement would be made this week.

Now it's finally done, and fans can look forward to seeing Mbappé in that famous white uniform.

A dream come true.
Very happy and organized to be part of my friends' club. @Real Madrid It is impossible to explain the happiness and emotion that overwhelmed me at this moment. I can't wait to see you, Real Madrid fans, and thank you for your incredible support.
Go Madrid!

HAS… pic.twitter.com/YTumusAXT6

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappé) June 3, 2024

(Main photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)