MADRID: Excitement is soaring with the mercury in the sunny streets of the Spanish capital as Real Madrid fans await the arrival of French striker Kylian Mbappe.

The Paris St Germain forward confirmed Friday he is leaving the Ligue 1 side after seven years and although he did not spell out his future, the world expects only one destination.

Real have chased Mbappe for years without success but are finally poised to secure the 25-year-old at the end of his PSG deal.

The French national team captain’s name was on everyone’s lips — those hawking Real merchandise on match days have been selling Mbappe scarves for weeks.

Los Blancos became Spanish champions for the 36th time last week with four games to spare in La Liga and reached the Champions League final this week by overcoming Bayern Munich.

Signing Mbappe, as the Spanish media report is now an inevitability, only seems a matter of time and could cap a glorious few weeks for Madrid president Florentino Perez.

“Au revoir” ran the headline in Spanish sports daily AS, who report Mbappe’s signing will be announced in the next few weeks “barring any major surprises”.

Real are not expected to make any announcement until the end of the season, after the Champions League final against Dortmund at Wembley on June 1.

Mbappe has never won the Champions League, which has been PSG’s main ambition during his time at the club.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have lifted the trophy five times in the last decade.

On Friday, Mbappe said on X that his final home game for PSG will be on Sunday against Toulouse.

“I never thought it would be this difficult to leave my country,” he said in the video post. “I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years.”

‘CLUB LEGEND’

On the eve of his final home game for PSG, Mbappe was hailed as a “club legend” on Saturday by the coach Luis Enrique.

“All I can say is marvellous things about Kylian Mbappe as a footballer and person,” Enrique told a press conference of the 25-year-old who has scored a club record 255 goals including 43 this season.

“I understand his decision. He has been here for seven years and as a club legend. He has given everything to this club, and this club has given him everything as well. I wish him all the best for the future.”

Spanish media report Mbappe’s grand unveiling at the Bernabeu is scheduled for the first week of June, after the Champions League final and before Les Bleus set off for Euro 2024, starting in Germany on June 14.

MACRON’S OLYMPIC HOPE

The Olympics in Paris open soon after the European Championships and French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he hoped Mbappe would play in this year’s Games.

“I have no particular comment to make other than the fact that I am counting upon Real Madrid to free up Kylian for the Olympic Games so he can play with the French team,” Macron said in a video posted on his X account.

Real have already said that it will not lift its players’ obligations to the club in favour of their participation in the Olympics Games which are not part of the FIFA-designated international tournaments for which clubs must free up their players.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2024