Real Madrid set Kylian Mbappe 'deadline' for 2024 transfer
- Real Madrid remain keen to sign Mbappe from PSG despite previous disappointments
- PSG forward approaching the final six months of his contract & can speak with overseas clubs in January
- Madrid fearful of repeating their last attempt to sign Mbappe on a free transfer
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid have warned Kylian Mbappe that he must make a decision on his future by the middle of January if he wants to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe, a long-term target for Madrid, will enter the final six months of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain next month and will be free to discuss terms with any overseas clubs as early as January.
Madrid are keen to finally land Mbappe but The Athletic report that club officials are wary of the Frenchman's decision to snub them in the summer of 2022, when it seemed certain he would move to Spain on a free transfer before he shockingly inked a huge new deal with PSG.
As a result, Madrid are said to have made it clear to Mbappe that he must make a firm decision on his future by the middle of January, at which point the Spanish outfit hope to begin focusing on other transfer targets.
The main dilemma for Madrid will be meeting Mbappe's financial demands. Los Blancos are wary of handing out enormous salaries and breaking their current wage structure, and so will likely warn Mbappe that he will have to reject higher offers if he truly wants to make the move to the Bernabeu.
90min understands Mbappe agreed to waive a €80m loyalty bonus owed to him for staying with PSG beyond last summer, having already confirmed that he did not plan to extend beyond 2024.
The 25-year-old is understood to have made it clear to PSG officials that he does not plan to sign a new contract, although there remains optimism in France that Madrid will not meet Mbappe's wage demands, which could see him ink another extension.
Mbappe rejected the chance to speak to Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal last summer, despite PSG accepting a bid worth €300m for his services after placing him on the transfer list.
Talks with PSG officials ultimately saw Mbappe reinstated back into the first team but his previous stance has always given Madrid confidence that a deal can be thrashed out.
Madrid have plenty of other business to attend to next summer, including the potential signing of left-back Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich, and therefore do not want to waste time chasing Mbappe if the Frenchman is not truly committed to making the move.
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