Real Madrid have recently implemented a salary structure, meaning even the likes of Jude Bellingham has come in on a contract around €10m per annum, the top end of that structure. New contracts must fit into that tier system, and Mbappe’s high wage demands are currently a stumbling block with neither side willing to blink.

It could lead to a dramatically increased signing bonus of around €100m, or perhaps a heavily incentivised contract, allowing them to slot Mbappe into their salary structure. Currently he is thought to be earning €25m per annum at PSG as a base salary. Despite the distance in demands, Los Blancos are in contact with Fayza Lamari, Mbappe’s agent and mother, and there is nothing to suggest the saga is close to an end. Real Madrid are not putting all of their eggs in the Mbappe basket this time, and feel there is less appetite from both the Premier League and PSG to pay him outlandish wages, which could work in their favour, given their own economic prudence.

Real Madrid appear quietly confident of signing Mbappe, without necessarily taking it as a given that he will sign with them. The good form of the team and the explosion of Jude Bellingham has meant there is much less desperation to sign Mbappe than there was in 2022, when Los Blancos looked as if they were struggling for star quality.