Real Madrid star set to invest in French club Caen after near-move in 2013

New Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe is in advanced talks to buy a football club he almost joined back in 2013, Soccernet.football reports.

According to French outlet Ouest France, Mbappe and his family are considering taking over Stade Malherbe Caen, a club currently in Ligue 2.

Mbappe, who recently joined Real Madrid, will be officially presented as a player for the Spanish giants on July 16.

His arrival will be marked with a grand celebration at the Bernabeu stadium, featuring a catwalk from the locker room to a massive stage. Over 80,000 fans are expected to watch the event, which will include fire effects, live music, and a spectacular fireworks display.

Away from the celebrations in Madrid, Mbappe’s family, particularly his mother Fayza Lamari, are keen on investing in Caen. The club is searching for new investors after Oaktree Capital Management, an American asset management firm, decided to withdraw their investment.

In 2013, Mbappe was on the verge of joining Caen, but the deal fell through when the club was relegated from Ligue 1. Instead, he went on to join AS Monaco, where his career began to flourish.

Laurent Glaize, who was the head of youth recruitment at Caen in 2013, recalls scouting a young Mbappe.

“At first, it was our Parisian network that called us,” Glaize said. “He assured us that he had seen a phenomenon… 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!'”

Mbappe, now 25, has developed into one of the world’s top footballers. He recently led France to the semifinals of the 2024 European Championships in Germany, where they were eliminated by Spain.

This summer, he completed his high-profile move from PSG to Real Madrid, where he hopes to achieve even greater success.