REAL MADRID
The numbers behind Real Madrid-Mbappé negotiation
After announcing his imminent departure from PSG, Kylian Mbappé is expected to, finally, join up with the Spanish giants, with the financials in place.
The transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid will not only impact Kylian Mbappé's sporting aspirations but also his (considerable) bank balance. Regardless of the outcome of negotiations between the player and the Spanish club, where the latter currently holds the upper hand, the salary of €72 million (c.$77.5m) gross plus bonuses he received in the 2023-24 season will not be what he receives as a Madridista.
In order to adhere to the spending cap set by Madrid for the transfer, the club will attempt to negotiate down from the €50 million (c.$53.8m) gross figure proposed by the player’s camp as a starting point. This is the annual amount he aims to receive at Madrid throughout his contract, which will extend until 2030.
Mbappé's lucrative Madrid deal till 2030
This contract duration is what will make Mbappé the player with the most valuable contract at Los Blancos. His annual figures will be close to Jude Bellingham’s (who sets the salary cap for the 2023-24 season), but his contract will be for one year longer than the Englishman’s (signed until 2029). In addition to this, there is the signing bonus, which, when spread over the six years of the contract, effectively elevates the French star another step. Within the team’s salary scale, nobody can fault him for this privilege of being a free agent. PSG offered him a renewal bonus of €180 million (payable in three installments over three years if he completed them at the club) when he was a free agent in the summer of 2022. The bonus he will negotiate with Madrid will not be within those parameters.
Mbappé for Ballon d’Or bonus
In addition to Mbappé's base salary at Madrid, various bonuses for personal performance achievements (such as Ballon d’Or, Golden Shoe, etc) will be included, which also indirectly benefit the club’s image and directly enhance negotiations for global and regional sponsorships that the club as a whole secures. Mbappé, however, will have the authority to decide which global club campaigns he participates in, a privilege he negotiated with the French Football Federation previously. Image rights will be another intricate point of negotiation. While Madrid is reluctant to relinquish them entirely, Mbappé is adamant about retaining full control over them.
Mbappé's impressive image rights
The reduction in Mbappé's ‘base salary’ is also motivated by the expectation from his camp to enhance the current image contracts of the forward (which he already exclusively benefits from) in Madrid, and to leverage that for new sponsorship agreements.
His main sponsor is Nike, and that contract is secured until 2029 – with a potential value of up to €200 million (c.$215m), but Kylian’s mother and his team have so far chosen not to saturate his image.
His advertising deals have been very selective, always aiming to project a modern and healthy image. Partnering with Real Madrid opens up all sorts of additional global markets for him as the club consistently vies for the top spot among the most valuable sporting organisations worldwide, sailing high in the latest Forbes list, and is also the leader in social media presence.