Real Madrid had made it clear before the season that they wanted to avoid a long transfer saga in their attempts to sign Kylian Mbappe, but things did not go as well as they could have hoped. After a flurry of reports that Mbappe had decided to play for Real Madrid next season, no agreement was found.
The Whites offered Mbappe much less money than they were making before, which was around 26 million euros a year in wages and 130 million euros in a signing bonus. Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, have given Mbappe options on his renewal, offering a choice of contract length, and a salary of 75 million euros after tax, before taking into account any bonuses .
The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, handled the negotiations personally, and was initially optimistic about an agreement, communicating as much to Carlo Ancelotti. His argument to convince Mbappe is that he will take the next step in terms of reputation, marketing and on the field.
However, PSG still maintains hope, and Mbappe's entourage – read here his agent and mother Fayza Lamari – doubt that the offer from Spain is the best there is. The Athletic say that it is a big part of the reason that the agreement had not been made, although Los Blancos expect an answer soon. They made their terms clear.
It may well be that Lamari is simply trying to secure more money for his client and his son, and even if the decision has been made, he is still trying to squeeze a better deal from Real Madrid. They could not come close to PSG's offer, but the longer the deal, the more anxiety it creates in the discussions.
