Carlo Ancelotti was told last summer that Real Madrid would be signing Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

Football’s worst-kept secret was finally revealed on Monday, with confirmation that Kylian Mbappe would be joining Real Madrid later this summer when his Paris Saint-Germain contract comes to an end. The 25-year-old has been on Los Blancos’ radar for seven years, but finally, they’ve got their hands on him.

It became apparent from February onwards that Mbappe would be heading to Real Madrid in the summer, but for president Florentino Perez, he was ahead of the game. According to Relevo, he told Carlo Ancelotti last summer that no striker would be signed to replace the departed Karim Benzema because all resources were being used to close a deal for Mbappe.

Ancelotti had wanted Harry Kane to replace Benzema, but Perez wanted to contain spending so that Real Madrid could afford the huge signing bonus that Mbappe was demanding – believed to be in the region of €100m. It meant that Joselu Mato was the only number nine, although that did not work out too badly, as the 34-year-old (signed on loan from Espanyol) scored 18 goals across all competitions, despite not being a regular starter.

In the end, Perez – as he usually does – judged things perfectly. Real Madrid secured a La Liga and Champions League double without a big-name number nine, and Mbappe is arriving on a pre-contract. The good times keeping on rolling in the Spanish capital.