The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has already taken turns that are without precedent, but after the 23-year-old again showcased why he's already the most electrifying footballer on the planet during PSG's 1-0 win over Real on Tuesday, another twist was reported by The Independent on Thursday: the Qatar-backed club is prepared to make Mbappé the highest-paid player in world football with an astonishing contract that pays him around $1.36 million weekly.
The only parallel that can be drawn with Mbappé's current situation and is probably Cristiano Ronaldo's circumstances when leaving Manchester United for Real in the summer of 2009. However, with years still remaining on his Old Trafford deal, United bowed to pressure from Ronaldo and happily accepted an (at the time) world record transfer fee of $109 million.
That's where the parallels end because PSG, despite Mbappé's contract expiring in the summer of 2022, rejected a Real bid of $227 million in August without even feeling the need to respond. For an actual football club that's an indispensable amount of money that you can't just leave on the table with a free transfer looming.
PSG is hardly a football club, it's a state-owned company and subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, which is worth $338 billion. They don't really need any transfer fees, ever, especially so when it's their crown jewel.
KYLIAN MBAPPE. IN STOPPAGE TIME. WOW. pic.twitter.com/0YhxWgCnC8
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 15, 2022
Which leaves us with this very public internal battle that Mbappé faces. In many ways it's sentimental and sporting – the lifelong dream of playing for Real Madrid vs. the current reality of loving life in Paris — but then there's the money, and there's no ignoring the money when it's this astronomical.
When Ronaldo left United, he was on a weekly salary of $164,000 per week. Real Madrid upped his pay packet to $293,000 per week. Mbappé's current PSG deal already pays him $511,000 each week, but in the club's latest attempt to get him to sign an extension, that number balloons to $1.36 million weekly.
That's a yearly salary of almost $71 million. Eden Hazard is currently Real's highest earner with an annual income of $32 million. Real's current contract offer for Mbappé is reportedly just over $1 million per week on a five-year deal.
What would you do in his Nike Mercurial Superflys?
Why Would Kylian Mbappé Go To Real Madrid?
- It's his childhood dream. He grew up with posters of Cristiano Ronaldo playing for los Blancos plastered all over his walls.
- Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid at the age of 24. Mbappé turns 24 next December. This is the way.
- Mbappé immediately becomes the face of the world's most successful club and is the star attraction of the newly renovated Santiago Bernabéu.
- Mbappé will win his fifth Ligue 1 title this season. Time for a new challenge.
- He has a better chance of winning the Ballon d'Or with Real.
Why Would Kylian Mbappé Stay With PSG?
- Mbappé is proud of his country, loves Paris and genuinely wants to elevate the profile of Ligue 1 and deliver a Champions League trophy to his city.
- He'll always be surrounded by the world's best at PSG since the club's funds are limitless.
- PSG is essentially able give Mbappé a blank check for his salary — "$1.36 million per week? No? More? No problem."
"I've not decided my future," Mbappé said after Tuesday's match. "I play for Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best clubs in the world. ... How to ignore the (transfer) context? It's easy, you have to play football. We ask too many questions, we say too many things. We talk about PSG and Real, two big clubs. I'm a PSG player, I'm always very happy."
Who can blame him?
