Potential Mbappe arrival excites Madrid fans
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe seems to be edging towards a Real Madrid move, with excitement already building in the Spanish capital. The 25-year-old France captain informed PSG officials he intends to leave in the summer at the end of his contract, a source close to the Ligue 1 champions said on Thursday. Madrid are in pole position to sign a player whom they have moved for several times in the past only to be rebuffed, although they declined to comment on Friday. Spanish media report Madrid's offer to Mbappe is lower than in 2022 when he decided to renew his PSG contract, with Cadena SER saying he wants 50 million euros (US$54 million) gross a season along with a hefty 120 million euros signing-on bonus. With the numbers and financial fair play impact left for Madrid's accountants to manage, supporters and local media are starting to dream of what may come. "The countdown has started," wrote Madrid-based national newspaper Marca. "Seven years later everything points to Mbappe's arrival being a reality from July 1." Mbappe had the chance to join Madrid from Monaco in 2017 but chose PSG instead, perhaps cowed by the difficulty of ousting Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema from the attack. Now he could lead the line alongside Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. (AFP)