Trouble for Real Madrid? Huge Kylian Mbappe salary poised to cause huge Ancelotti headache

Kylian Mbappe’s eye-watering Real Madrid salary could cause a huge headache for manager Carlo Ancelotti following the French superstar’s arrival from PSG this summer.

Mbappe announced on Friday that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the expiry of his contract in June, having registered 255 goals in 306 games for the French champions since his arrival from Monaco in 2017.

The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid for some time, with widespread reports in February claiming Mbappe had already agreed a five-year contract with the LaLiga giants.

READ MORE: Ten new-era Galacticos Real Madrid could sign this summer with game-changing Mbappe deal first

Mbappe has been tipped to become the most expensive free transfer in football history, with his status as a free agent putting the France forward in line for a huge windfall at his new club.

And as the wait for official confirmation of his switch to Spain goes on, a report by AS – a Madrid-based publication known to have strong links to Real – has put a number on the amount of money Mbappe is likely to earn at the Bernabeu.

The report claims Real Madrid have planned to offer him a salary of €25million per year after tax.

Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid: The return of the Galactico era?

That is “around twice as much” as the highest earners within the existing squad – including David Alaba, Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham (just under €11m per year) – who this week defeated Bayern Munich to reach the club’s sixth Champions League final of the last decade.

Meanwhile, the likes of Vinicius Jr, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger are believed to earn around €8m annually, while Rodrygo, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ferland Mendy pocket €6m.

READ MORE: Kylian Mbappe: Surprise Real Madrid shirt number theory emerges as announcement delayed

As such, the signing of Mbappe’s proposed €25m deal has the clear potential to create inter-team tensions within the Real Madrid squad given the discrepancy in wages and the club’s on-pitch success without him.

Real Madrid’s latest European final appearance comes after Los Blancos were crowned Spanish champions for the 36th time earlier this month.

Mbappe’s free-agent status means his signing-on fee is also likely to be the source of huge interest, with the BBC reporting earlier this year that the forward is to secure a €150m (£128m) upon his arrival at the Bernabeu, to be paid over the duration of his five-year contract. He is also expected to retain a percentage of his image rights.

READ MORE: Kylian Mbappe: Four superstars who may have to leave Real Madrid if blockbuster free transfer goes through

Despite becoming Real Madrid’s new highest earner, Mbappe is still poised to to take a pay cut to join his new club having reportedly earned £5.1m per week – with a gross annual salary of £62million before tax – at PSG.

AS claims that while president Florentino Perez is notoriously protective of Real Madrid’s salary structure, the club’s healthy financial position has allowed it to “dig deeper than ever before” to sign a player.

The high-profile departures of Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard have been cited as key milestones in Real Madrid’s efforts to reduce the wage bill, with the signing of Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund last summer a sign of the club flexing its financial muscle once more.

DON’T MISS: Man Utd superstar, Liverpool ace among five players tipped to replace Kylian Mbappe at PSG