Kylian Mbappe reportedly faces a huge pay-cut should he decide to finally leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid.
The Spaniards public pursuit of the French striker has been a drawn-out saga in recent years.
But there has been growing optimism in recent months, particularly in Spain, that Mbappe will finally end up at the Bernabeu when his PSG contract expires in the summer.
All is not as it seems, however.
ESPN report that Real Madrid’s current offer to Mbappe is lower than what has been offered in the past, while PSG are said to have offered a fresh contract on the same terms, namely £31.6m a year.
The future of Kylian Mbappe remains unclear with Real Madrid still pursuing a deal for him
Carlo Ancelotti is keen on the striker, but Real Madrid reportedly are offering less than before
It has been claimed that Real Madrid are reluctant to shatter their current wage set-up, even if Mbappe would become the top earner at the club with the current offer on the table.
A source reportedly told ESPN that the LaLiga side do not want to pay Mbappe significantly more than established stars such as Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Jnr.
It is reported that those two earnin the region of £9m net per-season.
Mbappe’s future has been the big domino yet to fall in European football in recent years.
Earlier this month, after helping PSG win the Trophee des Champions with a 2-0 win over Toulouse, he was pressed on his future.
He said: ‘I haven’t made my decision. I didn’t make a choice. But in any case, with the agreement I made with the president this summer, whatever my decision we managed to protect all the parties.
PSG have reportedly put a new contract offer on the table with significantly higher wages
‘And to preserve the serenity of the club for the challenges to come. Which is the most important. When will I decide? I do not know.’
Journalists in France continued to seek answers, with Mbappe free to speak to clubs outside of Ligue 1 from January 1.
‘In 2022, I waited because I didn’t know until May,’ he added.
‘If I know what I’m going to do, I’m not going to hang around. That does not make any sense.
‘But like I said, the most important thing is to win trophies. The team and the group are looking towards that.
‘My situation, no one talks about it within the club. I just want to help win trophies, like I did today.’
