Mbappé prepares for life at Real Madrid: French soccer star is house-hunting in Spain

Ahead of his expected summer move to Real Madrid, AS can reveal that Kylian Mbappé is busy preparing for life in the Spanish capital - and may end up buying a house off the LaLiga giants’ former captain, Sergio Ramos. This newspaper understands that Mbappé plans to acquire one of at least two houses that Ramos owns in La Moraleja, an upmarket area of Madrid that is home to a number of soccer stars based in the city.

Mbappé wants to be close to Real Madrid training base

Mbappé has in part chosen La Moraleja, located to the north-east of Madrid, because of its proximity to Los Blancos’ training ground, which is roughly a 15-minute drive away. The World Cup winner had also been considering La Finca, another of the city’s high-end districts, but this would have left him with a daily commute to the club’s sports complex that would take around twice as long.

A further reason for Mbappé's preference for La Moraleja is his love of golf. The 25-year-old’s passion for the game has led him to apply for membership at a course in the area - the exclusive Real Club La Moraleja.

While there tend not to be a large number of houses available for purchase in La Moraleja, Ramos appears to have stepped in to solve that problem for Mbappé, who was the Spaniard’s team-mate at Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons. Mbappé is expected to purchase a pad that once also belonged to another legendary ex-Madrid player - two-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo Nazário.

Aside from helping Mbappé with house-hunting, Ramos has been advising the France striker on several other aspects of life in Spain. One area that the Frenchman already has well under control, however, is the language. He has been learning Spanish for some time now, and in interviews given to Spain’s media has demonstrated an impressive level of fluency.

Watch - Mbappé's emotional last training session at PSG:

When will Real Madrid confirm Mbappé signing?

The forward, who announced earlier this month that he is to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season, is poised to join Madrid on a free transfer this summer - two years after he turned his back on a move to the Bernabéu to sign a lucrative new contract in the French capital.

Madrid are expected to confirm Mbappé's signing in the coming weeks. An announcement seems likeliest to arrive between the club’s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday 1 June, and the start of the European Championship on Friday 14 June. Mbappé is part of a 25-man France squad for the tournament in Germany, where Les Bleus will be bidding for a third European title.