Real Madrid Awaiting Mbappé

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(Madrid) “Farewell Paris,” “he’s coming”… Kylian Mbappé’s imminent departure from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has brought premature celebrations in Madrid. As the never-ending saga linking the French forward to Real Madrid unwraps, fans and pundits are hopeful that it would reach a conclusion soon.

Real Madrid fans, who are known for their passion, have repeatedly voiced that a player gets only one opportunity to don the white of Madrid. However, for footballer Kylian Mbappé, a lifelong Real Madrid enthusiast, is likely to get another ticket to the club of his dreams.

The announcement of Mbappé’s impending departure has been welcomed by the Spanish press as a “bombazo” – a big bang in the transfer market. They firmly believe that if Mbappé “leaves” PSG, he would “come” to Madrid, as leading daily Marca so confidently headlines.

Real Madrid has been patiently waiting for Mbappé to take the first step, and he seems to have taken it, as Marca, a sports journal considered as a reference in Spain, analyses. They anticipate that the French team’s captain, who has been free to decide his future since January, would be making his decision public “in the coming days.”

As noted by Marca, the 2018 World Cup-winner has already expressed his preference to join only Real Madrid to the club’s hierarchy. They later relayed that he had informed “Los Blancos” of his intentions to leave PSG on Tuesday, two days before it was officially revealed by sources close to the Parisian club.

However, rival sports journal AS, perhaps recalling premature announcements of the French footballer’s plans in summer 2022, has chosen a more cautious approach with its “Goodbye Paris” headline, noting that Real Madrid would maintain silence until both teams are out of the Champions League.

Currently, the parties involved are negotiating Mbappé’s wages, as per insiders, finalising the last details to close a chase that commenced seven years ago.

There has been a widespread belief in the Spanish media over the past few weeks that the financial proposition is less than the one given in 2022, with Kylian Mbappé’s camp demanding, according to radio Cadena SER, a yearly salary of 50 million euros with a signing bonus of 120 million.

Real Madrid, boasting of 14 Champions League titles, has refrained from making any comment when contacted by AFP.

Supporters are not as ecstatically anticipating the arrival as they did two years ago, but the sentiment remains – Real Madrid is on the verge of acquiring the “best player in the world” from a league that has lost superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Karim Benzema.

A real Madrid supporter, Migdalia Colorado, a 57-year-old attorney, told the AFP, “I am thrilled about him coming, I love him a lot! He’s a magnificent player, he’s very strong and he possesses character.”

“It’s indisputable that he’s the best player in the world. We have seen him play, we know what he’s capable of. He’s an outstanding player,” said Luis Caceres, president of the federation of Madrid’s supporter groups, “Peñas”.

Luis showed healthy skepticism though, adding “But until I see him signing, I won’t believe it, following what happened in 2022,” referring to Mbappé choosing to extend his contract with PSG till 2024, with an additional one-year option when he was strongly linked with a move to Madrid.

The representative of the fans warned, “Real Madrid is not PSG. Everyone kowtowed to him in Paris. Here, he will have to work hard to prove his worth.”

“This transfer has always been my dream. Today, more than ever!” proclaimed Enrique Higueras, a 22-year-old Real Madrid supporter and sports science PhD student, who could have hinted at the big revelation chased by all sports press on June 10, 2023.

In a viral video, Higueras asked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in front of a restaurant if he would be signing Kylian Mbappé, to which he replied, “Yes yes. But not this year.” This indicated that the French international has always been central to the Spanish management’s plan.

Thursday’s announcement is a “relief” for Higueras, who is now “sure that he (Mbappé) would play at Real Madrid and write history.”

Even the doubters are willing to see how the saga unfolds.

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