<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has reportedly decided to join Real Madrid this summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires, ending months of speculation that the Spanish club could land the 25-year-old superstar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



French newspaper Le Parisien first reported the news, with ESPN further&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39451576/kylian-mbappe-join-real-madrid-psg-summer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">confirming</a>&nbsp;Saturday, citing unnamed sources.



Sources told ESPN Mbappé has not informed PSG or Real Madrid, but his decision has been made and a decision could be announced next week.



Mbappé has been with PSG since 2017, when he first joined the club on loan from Monaco—PSG fully assumed his contract rights the next year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Mbappé is widely considered one of the best players of his generation. He won a World Cup with France at age 19 in 2018 and was named the best young player of the tournament. At the 2022 World Cup, he was top scorer with eight goals as France made another run to the final, ultimately falling to Lionel Messi-led Argentina in penalty kicks. At the club level, he has been the top or co-lead scorer in France’s Ligue 1 for the past five seasons. He is again top scorer for this season so far with 20 goals—twice as many as the next-leading scorer. Mbappé’s tenure with PSG has long been accompanied by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/06/12/mbapp-reportedly-leaving-paris-saint-germain-by-next-summer-after-earning-120-million-over-last-year/?sh=64edb7f4e232">rumors</a>&nbsp;of potential departures—and Real Madrid has been the top rumored landing place. In 2022, Real Madrid made a big-ticket offer to lure Mbappé away, but PSG was able to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/21/sports/soccer/mbappe-psg-real-madrid.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secure him</a>&nbsp;to another two-year contract, which expires this August.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">FORBES VALUATION</h2>



Mbappé is the third-highest paid athlete in the world, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/athletes/?sh=4a3e794e5b7e">according</a> to Forbes’ latest World’s Highest Paid Athletes list, with total earnings of $120 million. Mbappé trails only Lionel Messi, who left PSG last year for Inter Miami, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who played for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018. Real Madrid is the most valuable soccer team in the world, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/soccer-valuations/?sh=6ba96cf198bb">Forbes estimates</a>, worth just over $6 billion.

Sweden v France – UEFA Nations League

Kylian Mbappé Reportedly Joining Real Madrid This Summer

The cutoff to qualify among the world&#8217;s most valuable sports franchises is higher than ever, up 18% this year to $1.75 billion. There are 36 franchises worth at least $1 billion that did not make the top 50. Credit soaring TV contracts for the rising franchise values, as well as labor deals with players that almost ensure profitability barring outrageous spending on payroll by an owner.
No sports league is as profitable as the NFL where the average team earned an operating profit (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $91 million and no one banked less than $26 million. The boffo profits helped 29 NFL teams rank among the 50 most valuable franchises (only the Bengals, Lions and Bills missed the cut). Other sports include eight MLB clubs and seven each from the NBA and European soccer.
The Dallas Cowboys lead for the second straight year at $4.2 billion. Jerry Jones&#8217; team unseated Real Madrid last year as the most valuable sports team. The Spanish soccer powerhouse had ranked No. 1 for three straight years.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/06/09/ronaldo-lebron-top-worlds-highest-paid-athletes-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ronaldo, Le Bron Top World&#8217;s Highest-Paid Athletes Of 2017 </a>
Below is the full list of the most valuable teams across all sports (51 this year thanks to a tie at $1.75 billion between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). Values are based on Forbes valuations done over the past year for NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, F1, soccer and Nascar (no NHL, F1 or Nascar teams made the top 50).
Rank, Team, Value, 1-Yr change (Sport)
1. Dallas Cowboys, $4.2 billion, 5% (NFL)
2. New York Yankees, $3.7 billion, 9% (MLB)
3. Manchester United, $3.69 billion, 11% (Soccer)
4. Barcelona, $3.64 billion, 2% (Soccer)
5. Real Madrid, $3.58 billion, -2% (Soccer)
6. New England Patriots, $3.4 billion, 6% (NFL)
7. New York Knicks, $3.3 billion, 10% (NBA)
8. New York Giants, $3.1 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. San Francisco 49ers, $3 billion, 11% (NFL)
9. Los Angeles Lakers, $3 billion, 11% (NBA)
11. Washington Redskins, $2.95 billion, 4% (NFL)
12. Los Angeles Rams, $2.9 billion, 100% (NFL)
13. New York Jets, $2.75 billion, 6% (NFL)
13. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.75 billion, 10% (MLB)
15. Bayern Munich, $2.71 billion, 1% (Soccer)
16. Chicago Bears, $2.7 billion, 10% (NFL)
16. Boston Red Sox, $2.7 billion, 17% (MLB)
18. Chicago Cubs, $2.68 billion, 22% (MLB)
19. San Francisco Giants, $2.65 billion, 18% (MLB)
20. Houston Texans, $2.6 billion, 4% (NFL)
20. Golden State Warriors, $2.6 billion, 37% (NBA)
22. Philadelphia Eagles, $2.5 billion, 4% (NFL)
22. Chicago Bulls, $2.5 billion, 9% (NBA)
24. Denver Broncos, $2.4 billion, 24% (NFL)
25. Miami Dolphins, $2.38 billion, 28% (NFL)
26. Green Bay Packers, $2.35 billion, 21% (NFL)
27. Baltimore Ravens, $2.3 billion, 19% (NFL)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers, $2.25 billion, 18% (NFL)
29. Seattle Seahawks, $2.25 billion, 19% (NFL)
30. Minnesota Vikings, $2.2 billion, 38% (NFL)
30. Boston Celtics, $2.2 billion, 5% (NBA)
32. Indianapolis Colts, $2.18 billion, 16% (NFL)
33. Atlanta Falcons, $2.13 billion, 27% (NFL)
34. Oakland Raiders, $2.1 billion, 47% (NFL)
35. Manchester City, $2.083 billion, 8% (Soccer)
36. Los Angeles Chargers, $2.08 billion, 36% (NFL)
37. Carolina Panthers, $2.075 billion, 33% (NFL)
38. Arizona Cardinals, $2.025 billion, 31% (NFL)
39. Tennessee Titans, $2 billion, 34% (NFL)
39. Los Angeles Clippers, $2 billion, 0% (NBA)
39. New York Mets, $2 billion, 21% (MLB)
42. Jacksonville Jaguars, $1.95 billion, 32% (NFL)
43. Arsenal, $1.93 billion, -4% (Soccer)
44. Kansas City Chiefs, $1.88 billion, 23% (NFL)
45. Cleveland Browns, $1.85 billion, 23% (NFL)
46. Chelsea, $1.845 billion, 11% (Soccer)
47. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $1.8 billion, 19% (NFL)
47. Brooklyn Nets, $1.8 billion, 6% (NBA)
47. St Louis Cardinals, $1.8 billion, 12% (MLB)
50. New Orleans Saints, $1.75 billion, 16% (NFL)
50. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, $1.75 billion, 31% (MLB)
Written by <a class="link preload-hidden ng-binding" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kurt Badenhausen</a>, FORBES STAFF

Tag: Real Madrid

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Kylian Mbappé Reportedly Joining Real Madrid This Summer

Full List: The World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2017