Real Madrid ace Kylian Mbappe buys majority stake in Ligue 2 club SM Caen as price of purchase comes to light in latest report
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has bought the majority stake in Ligue 2 club SM Caen. According to a report from Le Parisien (via GOAL), the purchase price is just under €20 million for most of the shares in the club. The rest of the shares are valued at around €5 million, owned by Mediawan founder Pierre-Antoine Capton.
The amount Mbappe has paid to own the club is notably just over his reported wage at Valdebebas, where he is expected to earn about €15 million annually. During his time at Paris Saint-Germain, where he played since 2017, the forward earned as much as €72 million per annum (via NDTV). This will certainly have made it relatively easy for him to invest in a smaller club in France.
Mbappe also has other endorsement deals outside his work on the pitch that Forbes has valued at around $20 million (via GOAL). The signing bonus from his Real Madrid contract is expected to exceed €100 million, giving him even further access to build SM Caen into a big contender in France.
It is worth noting that Mbappe reportedly considered signing for SM Caen when he was younger. However, the club was relegated from the top-tier league in France at that time.
Real Madrid goalkeeper hails Kylian Mbappe move
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spoke about Kylian Mbappe following the French World Cup winner's move to Los Blancos. The Belgian international shared high expectations for Mbappe, noting that the French forward is capable of making a difference. He told TUDN (via GOAL):
“Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, and in the end, it’s better for him to be on your team than against you. He is a player who can make a difference as we have with Bellingham, with Vinicius, and adding Mbappe to that will only help us.”
Courtois also said that despite Real Madrid's strength, he expects that Kylian Mbappe will improve their squad and push them to win more in the coming year:
"We just have to find a way to play with him and help him, and I think he’s going to help us win a lot of trophies, and I’m sure it’s going to be a great year, he’s going to shine, he’s going to score a lot of goals and help us win trophies.”
It is worth noting that Kylian Mbappe's move to Madrid was widely expected by the footballing world over the last six months. He has now joined them on a free transfer, getting unveiled at a packed Santiago Bernabeu, wearing the number 9 jersey.