Kylian Mbappe has signed a contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his Paris St-Germain deal expires on 30 June.
He has agreed a deal with Real until 2029, earning 15m euros (£12.8m) a season, plus a 150m euro (£128m) signing-on bonus to be paid over five years, and he will keep a percentage of his image rights.
Madrid are expected to announce the deal next week and could formally present the forward at the Bernabeu before Euro 2024.
Mbappe, 25, a World Cup winner in 2018, is PSG’s record goalscorer with 256 goals since he joined them from Monaco on an initial loan in 2017.
A move to the Bernabeu will finally end the speculation that has followed Mbappe throughout his career.
It was reported in February that Real – who won the Champions League on Saturday – had reached an agreement with Mbappe that would see the forward join on a free transfer in the summer, with an £85.5million signing-on fee, meaning the Spanish giants will get their man after a seven-year pursuit.
There has been no official announcement surrounding his future since then though, but Mbappe explained back in March that one would be forthcoming ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, where he will captain France.
‘People will know my future before the Euros. I’m very calm about it,’ he had told Telefoot.
‘My future is no longer a huge topic at the club, no one talks to me about it anymore.
‘I’ll be at the Euros with calm head, ready to do great things.’
Despite his exit from PSG being expected from as far back as last summer, Mbappe only officially announced he would be leaving on Friday, May 10 as he shared a heartfelt message to the club’s fans.
‘I wanted to speak to you. I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain,’ he said.
‘I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.
‘I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. It’s a lot of emotion; many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club – one of the best in the world – which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure.
‘To grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history – some of the greatest champions; to meet a lot of people, to grow as a man as well, with all the glory and the mistakes I’ve made.
‘It’s hard, and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that, to leave my country, France, Ligue 1, a championship I have always known, but I think I needed this – a new challenge after seven years.’
The claims from Romano come after L’Equipe reported on Friday that Mbappe will be unveiled as a new Real Madrid player on Monday, less than 48 hours after their Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Meanwhile, during a training session with France on Thursday, Mbappe met with fans, and even signed one lucky person’s Real Madrid shirt – a sure-fire sign that this deal will be finalised shortly.
Earlier this week, it was also reported that the relationship between PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and the departing Mbappe remains strong, despite claims that a rift had emerged over the terms of his departure as a free agent.
Both the club and the player have previously stated there is an agreement in place that respects PSG’s huge investment in Mbappe’s development as a player since his £166m move from Monaco in 2017.
Mbappe won the Coupe de France in his final match for PSG, ending his last season at the club with 44 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.
The French star then threw a farewell party for 250 guests in Paris, as his former PSG team-mates bid goodbye to him after seven years on their books.
Mbappe leaves as PSG’s all-time record goalscorer, having scored 256 goals in 308 appearances over seven years in Paris.