Real Madrid are ready to go well and beyond for Kylian Mbappe this summer in what seems to be their final attempt to sign the player after chasing him for nearly half-a-decade.
The Frenchman has already conveyed his desire to leave PSG, and will choose his next destination ahead of the summer transfer window, on a Bosman move. After this, he will negotiate the terms of his exit with the French outfit.
And while Madrid are very interested in signing him, they want him to join on their terms and have offered him lower terms than their offer two years ago, when the Frenchman eventually ended up renewing with PSG.
They are, however, ready to offer him other perks, though, including a larger chunk of image rights, which players do not usually get at Real Madrid.
Further, SPORT are reporting that Madrid will give him Luka Modric’s #10 jersey at the club in the summer.
Real Madrid pays with glory
Real Madrid have made it clear to Mbappe that even though they will not offer him as much money as he is earning at PSG (€72 million and 100% image rights), he will still become the highest-earning player in the squad and possibly Europe after signing.
They have also promised him 50% of his image rights, and have already told him and his entourage that once this signing goes through, his value in the market will skyrocket, giving David Beckham’s example.
The Englishman was earning €20 million from his image rights before joining Madrid, but once he left, his paycheck had €40 million on it, even though he had also only retained 50% of his rights, which means a value rise from €20 million to €80 million in total.
Further, former Madrid forward Jorge Valdano’s phrase “Real Madrid does not pay with money, it pays with glory” must be ringing loudly in Mbappe’s ears, as he has watched his compatriots Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy collect every possible title with los blancos.
Number 9 reserved for Endrick
Should Luka Modric choose to leave the club, which is becoming increasingly likely, Mbappe will take over the #10 from him. However, they also have #9 free after Karim Benzema’s departure.
Madrid plan to save that jersey for Endrick, who is also joining Madrid this summer.
And while Mbappe prefers #7, the number he wears at PSG, Madrid will not strip Vinicius Jr off that jersey. Instead, he will take the #10, which is the number he wears with the French National Team, because of Antoine Griezmann, who took the #7 very early on.
Madrid also prefer their marquee signing take numbers from between #1 to #11, which is why Jude Bellingham took the #5 in Zinedine Zidane’s honour, and why Rodrygo and Vinicius were shifted to #11 and #7, respectively, this summer.