Kylian Mbappe's proposed move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid has reportedly stalled due to the Frenchman's extortionate wage demands.
Last week, the prolonged saga surrounding the 25-year-old's future saw its biggest development yet, as it was reported that he had finally agreed a switch to the Bernabeu for the 2024-25 season.
Mbappe is in the final six months of his PSG deal - meaning that the French champions stand to lose him for nothing at the end of the season - and is therefore allowed to talk to foreign clubs to negotiate a pre-contract agreement.
PSG have supposedly not been informed by Mbappe's camp that he will join Real Madrid, but the groundwork is being laid out for a highly-anticipated transfer, and Real were supposedly confident that he would agree to a significant wage cut to move to the Spanish capital.
However, The Independent claims that Mbappe and Real are still a ways off agreeing a blockbuster contract, as Los Blancos are yet to come up with a salary package deemed satisfactory by the attacker.
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Real Madrid supposedly do not intend to break their wage structure for Mbappe, although they will still make him one of their highest earners alongside Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, David Alaba, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
While there are still plenty of hoops to jump through before Mbappe can sport the famous white strip, there is reportedly a consensus at PSG that Mbappe will bid farewell for the Bernabeu at the end of the season, and the French champions will only go so far in their attempts to keep him.
Back in the summer of 2021, Real tested PSG's resolve with a bid of €200m (£171.1m) for Mbappe on deadline day, but the French champions - who were due to lose the Frenchman a year later - turned down the approach.
An exit for Real on a free transfer in 2022 was expected to come to fruition after Los Blancos' failed approach, but to Florentino Perez's chagrin, Mbappe signed a new two-year deal at PSG with the option of a further 12 months.
However, Mbappe dropped a bombshell on PSG last summer by informing the club that he had no plans to take up his one-year extension, and the French champions worked tooth and nail to sell him before the start of the campaign.
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While Mbappe was demoted to training with other transfer-listed players, PSG accepted a world-record £259m offer from Al-Hilal, but the striker refused to enter talks with the Saudi Arabian outfit due to his desire to continue in Europe.
Mbappe was eventually re-integrated into Luis Enrique's setup, and PSG have apparently offered him yet another improved deal, but the report adds that the new wage is not a "significant" increase on his current pay packet.
As a result, while PSG are hoping that he will have a change of heart, they will not be held to ransom by the former Monaco starlet, whom Nasser Al-Khelaifi previously insisted would not be leaving for free under any circumstances.
In what could be his final campaign in a PSG shirt, Mbappe has remained as prolific as ever with 29 goals and seven assists from 28 games in all tournaments this term, and he became PSG's all-time leading scorer last season.
A move to the Premier League with either Liverpool or Arsenal was briefly mooted, but the title-chasing duo are not seen as realistic destinations due to Mbappe's astronomical salary.
Ben Knapton
