The long wait is finally over, as Real Madrid have announced that France World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe has officially joined Los Blancos.
“Real Madrid C.F. and Kylian Mbappé have reached an agreement under which he will become a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons,” read an official statement from Real Madrid.
This news comes just days after Real Madrid clinched their historic 15th Champions League title with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
The Los Blancos are bidding farewell to several club legends, including Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Nacho Fernandez.
However, the much-anticipated signing of the superstar striker has now become a reality.
Kylian Mbappe’s departure from Paris Saint Germain took a contentious turn as president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reportedly refused to pay the young French forward the remainder of his salary.
Due to his dissatisfaction with Mbappe’s exit, Khelaifi withheld a total of 80 million euros in salary and bonuses. PSG also did not pay Mbappe’s salary in April, and it is reported that lawyers are now involved.
“We want him to stay, but he can’t leave for free. It was our oral agreement and he had expressed it publicly in an interview. So it’s not debatable. I was really shocked to learn that he intended to leave for free,” stated Al-Khelaifi.
“It’s very disappointing because Kylian is a fantastic boy, a real gentleman, and leaving for free, weakening the biggest French club, it’s not him. When I received this information, I was shocked and disappointed,” Al-Khelaifi told Le Parisien earlier.
Regardless, Mbappe leaves the French side as the club’s all-time top scorer, with 325 goals in 305 appearances.
The World Cup winner has also secured 12 major trophies with the Parisians, including 6 Ligue 1 titles.
