Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid - Revealed: How Madrid can afford Paris Saint-Germain's €220m asking price
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Updated 26/08/2021 at 09:51 GMT
Paris Saint-Germain rejected Real Madrid's initial offer of €160m for Kylian Mbappe and have set an asking price of €220m for the France superstar. But how can Madrid afford that astronomical figure in a Covid economy? Eurosport Spain's Fermin De La Calle explains how the numbers do add up for Florentino Perez.
Kylian Mbappe #7 of Paris Saint-Germain warms up before the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Paris Saint Germain and Strasbourg at Parc des Princes on August 14, 2021 in Paris, France.
Image credit: Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain have set a huge asking price of €220m for Kylian Mbappe, a figure that would be out of reach of most clubs during the Covid pandemic. However, Eurosport can reveal that Florentino Perez would be able to raise this amount, should Madrid bow to PSG's demands.
Madrid are thought to be unwilling to go much beyond €180m for the World Cup-winner, having seen their initial approach rejected for Mbappe, who has decided he wants to leave the French capital in the wake of the arrival of Lionel Messi.
However, the fact that PSG chief Leonardo has publicly admitted that Mbappe wants to leave, and that PSG have set an asking price, means a deal is there to be done if Madrid want. Leonardo said that Mbappe would only be allowed to leave on "our terms" - and those terms are no less than €220m.
The question then is: how can Madrid afford a figure that would more than double their previous record signing? Fermin De La Calle explains all...
CREDIT LINES
Real Madrid maintain an open and intact line of credit amounting to €200m to use when they deem it necessary. This could open the path for them to sign Mbappe this summer.
MONEY IN THE BANK
Real Madrid finished last season with €122m in the bank, following their various commercial and transfer operations. The paymasters at Madrid have been betting on austerity for several seasons, which has left reserves to draw upon after balancing income and expenditure.
PLAYER SALES
If necessary, Madrid could put a number of players on the market having fielded plenty of interest in this regard.
Players who are part of the first-team squad, but not regulars, and could bring in significant revenues to help fund the move for Mbappe include the likes of Marco Asensio, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Lucas Vazquez, Marcelo, Rodrygo - even Eden Hazard, who has not convinced Carlo Ancelotti.
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Eden Hazard, Real Madrid
Image credit: Getty Images
NEW SPONSORS
Madrid also hope that the arrival of a new Galactico like Mbappe will bring new sponsors on board. Agreements with these new sponsors would help finance the Mbappe operation.
For all these reasons, Florentino Perez is currently unworried about the conditions required to sign Mbappe as he has plenty of cards to play as he seeks to seal the biggest deal in Madrid's history - beating the €101m paid to Tottenham for Gareth Bale or the €100m paid to Chelsea for Hazard.
Even his expected salary shouldn't be too much of a problem: although Mbappe would expect to earn €25m per year, Madrid no longer have to sustain Cristiano Ronaldo's salary and this summer also cut €10.8m from the wage bill with the departure of Sergio Ramos.
Next summer, they will also cut Bale, who currently earns in the region of €18m.
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