Real Madrid traditionally retain all of the image rights of their players when they sign for the club, but as is increasingly the case, Kylian Mbappe is a unique case. The French forward looks set to join Los Blancos this summer after turning down a move on three previous occcasions, and it appears he will get his way on the final major detail in his contract talks.
It has been reported previously that Mbappe has already signed a deal with Real Madrid, and that he has a verbal agreement, but the consensus appears to be that the final details are being smoothed out. Mbappe’s presence at the Olympics in Paris and his image rights have been mentioned as those details.
Now Diario AS reference a report from El Chiringuito that Real Madrid will agree to Mbappe having 80% of his image rights, on top of his €15m annual salary and a major signing bonus that some outlets have put as high as €150m. Currently Mbappe earns €20m per year from publicity, and that figure is only set to rise with his arrival at Real Madrid.
Mbappe’s deal insistence on image rights has previously been described as landmark, in that it could spark a trend of footballers negotiating for them. It’s already a battle he has had with the French Football Federation, but as the Madrid-based outlet underline, Erling Haaland has all of his image rights, and Endrick Felipe, who is yet to make his European debut, will retain 50%.
It looks as if the deal for Mbappe will be signed and sealed before long, as this was thought to be the major sticking point still to be agreed. While Real Madrid could look to impose their will with Mbappe regarding the Olympics – his absence would likely cause them to lose a few million in revenue from their preseason tour – the player has made it clear it is one of his ambitions. Refusing to let him go could spark an early tension, and Los Blancos will be keen for the Mbappe noise to finally be about what he is doing on the pitch.
Now expect Bellingham, Vinni, and possibly Haaland (if he comes) to want the same.