REAL MADRID
How many offers for Mbappé did PSG reject from Real Madrid?
After more than a decade of approaches, Kylian Mbappé is finally off to the Santiago Bernabéu. Here’s how we got to this point...
Finally, one of the longest-running transfer sagas of recent times has reached its inevitable conclusion. Real Madrid finally have their man and Kylian Mbappé will be lining up at the Santiago Bernabéu for the 2024/25 season.
If it feels like this move has been a long time coming, that’s because it has. From a 14-year-old Mbappé's Madrid visit to a series of nine-figure sums rejected by Paris Saint-Germain, there has been no shortage of effort on the part of the LaLiga giants.
Now that the deal is all concluded, here’s the potted history of Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid move.
Madrid made the first approach
Even as a youngster in France’s illustrious Clairefontaine academy, it was clear that Mbappé was set for stardom. So obvious was his talent that he received offers from a number of Europe’s top clubs.
He was the subject of interest from Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. He spent time in London with Chelsea, even playing a game for their youth team as they sought to court the young star. But it was Real Madrid who played the trump card.
Mbappé was invited to Madrid for a tour of the club’s Valdebebas training ground and to take part in a training session. He was given a lift to the training complex by French icon and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. He even met his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo.
But despite Mbappé's interest in the move his family decided that he should stay in France to continue his education. That was Madrid’s first ‘offer’ to Mbappé, and one that left an enduring impression on the Frenchman.
Real Madrid knocked back after early bid accepted
Mbappé really broke into the Monaco first team in 2016/17 and turned heads with his explosive performances. Monaco won Ligue 1 that season and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. Mbappé had scored 26 goals and was the subject of major transfer interest.
In the summer of 2017 Real Madrid had a €180 million ($194m) bid accepted for Mbappé, but his father had doubts about the amount of playing time that he would get in Madrid. That slowed down the process and allowed PSG to formulate their own offer. They secured Mbappé's services, initially on loan but with an obligation to buy, in August 2017.
The transfer fee was the same as had been offered by Madrid, showing how close they were to signing him seven years ago.
Madrid return for World Cup winner
In 2017 Mbappé was the hottest prospect in European soccer, by 2021 he was a global superstar with a stellar track record and bulging trophy cabinet. He had lifted the World Cup with France in 2018 and his PSG side had swept all before them in France.
However in 2021 he decided to seek pastures new and informed PSG that he wanted to leave for Real Madrid. The Spanish club leapt into action and tabled two formal offers in August, the first was for €160 million ($172m) and the second for €180 million ($194m). Neither offer received an official response and the bad blood between the two sides intensified.
PSG kept their star player but, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2022, it looked as if they had turned down an awful lot of money just to keep Mbappé for the final year of his deal.
PSG cling on to Mbappé
Although Madrid had failed in 2021 they planned to redouble efforts for the following summer. With Mbappé soon to be a free agent Madrid were expected to secure a deal fairly easily, but PSG continued to push for a renewal.
Real Madrid did not submit a transfer offer in 2021 - they did not need to, due to his free agency - but their efforts to agree contractual terms were rejected by Mbappé's camp.
Eventually PSG renewed their star on exorbitant new terms on a deal that was initially advertised as a three-year contract but was actually a two-plus-one deal, with the third year open to Mbappé should he want it.
Tentative return and eventual success
The Mbappé extension was shorter than those within PSG wanted to admit, but they would presumably have hoped to get at least one summer away from transfer speculation. Alas, they did not.
By October 2022 Mbappé publicly criticised the direction of the PSG project and made clear his desire to leave. PSG, understandably annoyed that their star had made it just four months his new contract before agitating to leave, slapped a €400 million ($431m) price tag on the Frenchman.
After feeling misled by Mbappé in 2021 Madrid were reluctant to find themselves in the same position in 2023. There were some tentative efforts made towards the end of August but no official bid was made.
However Mbappé had, by this point, made clear that he would not be activating the third year of his ‘three-year’ deal and would be available on a free at the end of the 2023-24 season.
In February 2024 reports began circulating which suggested that Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid had agreed contract terms on a long-term deal. He was set to finally make the move that a teenaged Mbappé, more than a decade earlier, had dreamed of.