REAL MADRID are reportedly launching ‘operation Kylian Mbappe’ which will see SIX players axed to fund a £135million move.
Gareth Bale, Isco, Dani Ceballos, Luka Jovic, Marcelo and Brahim Diaz will be sold to raise between £90m and £135m to pay for the PSG striker’s arrival, Spanish paper AS claim.
Spanish paper AS splash on Real Madrid’s financial plan to land Kylian Mbappe
Madrid want to sign Mbappe from PSG for £135millionCredit: AP:Associated Press
Mbappe’s contract at the Parc des Princes expires in 2022 and the World Cup winner is yet to sign an extension.
The report states Los Blancos hope to open negotiations with PSG in June and aim to broker a deal worth £135m – given the state of the transfer market following the coronavirus pandemic.
But Madrid chiefs are thought to be preparing for a worst case scenario where the French giants demand a fee in the region of £200m to match what they shelled out for Neymar in 2017.
The club are concerned the arrival of former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino could throw a spanner in the works as he launches his own Parisian project.
But with only one year left on his deal and the possibility he could quit Ligue 1 and walk away for free 12 months later, club brass are confident Mbappe will stick to his word and not sign an extension, allowing them to knock down his price.
And the report states Bernabeu bosses would be willing to stretch to a fee of £180m if Mbappe was to sign a bumper contract in the Spanish capital.
If the former Monaco man penned a five-year deal, for example, then the outlay would be spread over the course of the contract and Madrid’s books would only have to contend with £36m of expenses each year – which they are believed to see as an acceptable outgoing.
Mbappe’s hefty salary is not thought to be an obstacle in the way of a potential move with Real willing to match his current wages.
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Ramos is one of Real Madrid’s top earners but is demanding more to stay on for a further two years, claim reports
He is believed to take home a net annual income of £18.8m at PSG – estimated to be around £380,000 a week.
And Madrid hope to fund Mbappe’s earnings by dumping highly-paid stars like Spurs loanee Bale, Serbian striker Jovic and midfielder Isco to free up space on their wage bill.
Bale collects a huge £650,000 a week with Jovic on £175,000 and Isco reportedly paid around £123,000.
With the proposed transfer a year away, Madrid don’t see any moral issue with future negotiations over staff wage cuts due to Covid – they assume fans and normal finances will definitely have returned by next summer.
The Spanish side are keen to land the marquee signing to keep pace with clubs powered by wealthy American and Asian owners.
As well as Mbappe, Madrid are targeting moves for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba and Rennes forward Eduardo Camavinga.
French starlet Camavinga, 18, admitted he’s flattered by the interest from the Galacticos but a move ‘depends on several factors’.
Kylian Mbappe shows off his moves in training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
