Kylian Mbappe will allegedly take a substantial pay cut to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.
On Friday, the France international confirmed, as had been widely reported, that he would be leaving Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of June.
Mbappe stopped short of confirming his next destination, but he is widely expected to make the move to Real Madrid on a free transfer, with Los Blancos long seen as the favourites.
According to AS, the forward has agreed to take a pay cut in order to move to Real Madrid, with the Spanish outfit not prepared to match his mammoth wages in the French capital.
The report claims that Mbappe has been picking up a gross annual salary of €72m (£62m) in Paris, but he will be earning €25m (£21m) a year after tax in Madrid.
© Reuters
Mbappe 'to earn less money at Real Madrid'
Mbappe will allegedly be Real Madrid's highest earner, while he is also expected to receive a significant signing-on fee, with Los Blancos not having to pay a transfer fee.
The 25-year-old has again been in excellent form for PSG during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 43 goals and registering 10 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
Meanwhile, he has managed 255 goals and 108 assists in 306 matches for the Paris giants in all competitions since arriving from Monaco, initially on loan.
Mbappe's final home game for PSG will be against Toulouse on Saturday night, before Luis Enrique's side end their Ligue 1 campaign with away games against Nice and Metz.
© Reuters
Where will Mbappe play for Real Madrid?
There have been suggestions that Mbappe will play as the number nine for Real Madrid next season.
Los Blancos have largely been playing a 4-3-1-2 formation this term, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti changing his system following the surprise departure of Karim Benzema last summer.
Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior have been operating as the front two, with Jude Bellingham as the number 10, but a switch to a 4-3-3 formation could see Vinicius, Mbappe and Rodrygo play as the front three.
Bellingham would then likely drop back into midfield with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, with Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga also rotating in the starting XI.
Vinicius's ability to play as a central forward would also open up the option of putting the Brazilian through the middle and starting Mbappe in his favoured position on the left of the attack.