Real Madrid have been waiting months for Kylian Mbappé to make the first move – and now he has. The French star had to publicly show his desire to leave PSG so that president Florentino Perez could get down to work to seal his signature for the Spanish club.
Two years have passed since Mbappe last looked like joining Los Blancos, but it is becoming clear that this situation is not the same as 2022 – something Mbappe already knew. This time, he has taken the step of informing PSG that his time in Paris was coming to an end so that he could move to Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old has proved just how valuable he is this season and did so again in the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday. PSG won’t need telling that he is one of the few players who is capable of winning a match on his own.
He continues to be admired by Europe’s elite clubs and that includes Real Madrid, although their disappointment has not been forgotten and they gave the Frenchman a deadline to see if he would move to the Bernabeu.
The LaLiga giants make their important decisions in March and they told him there must already be a public announcement in place regarding his farewell to PSG. Otheriwse, Real Madrid would look to other targets.
A firm stance from Real Madrid
While they had set a deadline for Mbappe, Real Madrid’s senior management – adamant that they would avoid a repeat of embarrassment from two years ago – drew up an alternative strategy in case the French forward decided to stay.
In fact, speculation persisted that Pérez and sporting director José Angel Sánchez had considered giving him a deadline in February. They were very clear at all times that they were not going to allow Mbappe to prolong the process and Real Madrid wanted to preserve the natural order of its dressing room.
In addition, they are protecting the economic stability of the club and it is believed their new offer is not even half of the previous $53.8 million-a-year contract offer.
In France, the striker’s departure is still considered a certainty, but for that feeling to be transferred to Madrid, the gesture of the French international was essential. At that moment, Real Madrid moved quickly to finally capture the man who rejected them two years ago.