Reports from France indicate that Kylian Mbappe and his family are in advanced discussions regarding the potential acquisition of a club he nearly joined in 2013.
The 25-year-old forward will officially join Real Madrid on Tuesday, July 16, fulfilling his long-awaited move to Los Blancos as confirmed last month.
To mark his arrival, a grand celebration is planned at the Bernabeu, featuring a catwalk from the locker room to a large stage. Over 80,000 fans are expected to witness fire effects, live music performances, and a spectacular fireworks show.
Off the field, Mbappe and his family are reportedly engaged in negotiations to invest in Ligue 2 club Stade Malherbe Caen, per French outlet Ouest-France.
Caen is currently seeking new investors following the decision by American asset management firm Oaktree Capital Management to withdraw from their ownership position at the club.
Mbappe’s family, particularly through his mother Fayza Lamari’s business interests, is keen on acquiring a majority stake in Caen. Talks are said to be well-progressed according to the report.
Mbappe came close to joining Caen in 2013, but the deal fell through when the club was relegated from Ligue 1. Instead, he joined AS Monaco.
Laurent Glaize, who oversaw youth recruitment at Caen in 2013, shared insights with French outlet Maville about scouting Mbappe at a young age.
“Our Parisian network alerted us initially,” he said. “They assured us they had spotted a phenomenon. We sent our scout to Bondy in Paris to watch him play.”
“He confirmed our suspicions. Then David Lasry, who was our youth recruiter at Caen and my assistant, went to see him. David was usually composed, but this time he called me excitedly: ‘Laurent, I’ve got the future Ballon d’Or in front of me!'”
“Glaize continued, “Kylian was barely 12 years old. Technically, he could do everything. He had incredible dribbling skills, and he executed them quickly. His game intelligence was that of a 15- or 16-year-old. He was small and slight, but his potential for physical development was obvious.”
“In all my career,” Glaize added, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”