Real Madrid’s latest signing almost joined the French club in 2013.
Kylian Mbappe and his family are in ‘advanced talks’ over the potential takeover of a club he almost joined in 2013, according to reports in France.
The 25-year-old forward will be presented as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, July 16 after his dream move to Los Blancos was confirmed last month.
To celebrate his arrival, a catwalk will be installed from the Bernabeu locker room to a huge stage, as more than 80,000 fans watch fire effects, live musicians and a spectacular fireworks display.
Away from the pitch and it appears Mbappe and his family are working on a deal to invest in Ligue 2 side Stade Malherbe Caen, according to French out Ouest-France.
Caen are currently on the lookout for new investors after American asset management firm Oaktree Capital Management informed the club’s minority shareholder that they would withdraw from the club’s ownership.
Mbappe’s family business, which heavily involves his mother, Fayza Lamari, is interested in acquiring a majority share in Caen’s ownership.
In fact, talks are at an advanced stage, according to the above report.
Mbappe was on the verge of joining Caen in 2013 but the deal fell through when the club were relegated from Ligue 1. He joined AS Monaco instead.
Laurent Glaize, who was the head of youth recruitment at Caen in 2013, spoke to French outlet Maville about scouting Mbappe at a young age.
“At first, it was our Parisian network that called us,” he said. “He assured us that he had seen a phenomenon. We sent our recruitment manager to Paris to see him play at Bondy.
“He confirmed. Then David Lasry (then youth recruiter at SM Caen and assistant to Glaize) went to see him. David didn’t usually get too excited. Then, he called me, he was crazy: ‘Laurent, I have the future Ballon d’Or in front of me!’
“Kylian was barely 12 years old. Technically, he already knew how to do everything. He had incredible dribbles, and above all he did them quickly. He had the game intelligence of a 15-16 year old guy. He was still small and thin obviously, but the potential for athletic development was obvious.”
Glaize added: “In my entire career, frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it.”