Kylian Mbappe has taken over a majority stake in French second-tier side Caen.
Properly know as Stade Malherbe Caen, the club were once on the verge of signing a young Mbappe before the former yo-yo club had to hit the brakes following one of their relegations to Ligue 2 in 2012.
Caen have plied their trade in Ligue 2 since being relegated in 2019, and are now subject to an 80% takeover by Mbappe’s investment company Coalition Capital. Reporting on the amount paid ranges from €15m (£12.6m) to just under €20m (£16.9m) plus the purchase of some of the club’s debts.
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Mbappe was already a wealthy man after enjoying a successful and lucrative career with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, but has had a massive windfall even by his standards after joining Real Madrid.
A nine-figure signing-on fee for Mbappe’s services has been reported on top of his €15m (£12.8m) wages after he departing PSG as a free agent earlier this summer.
Mbappe will now invest a chunk of that in Caen, who last year finished just outside the play-off places in Ligue 2: they fell short of Paris FC by just a single point to finish sixth, with the play-off places allocated to the teams finishing third, fourth and fifth. Saint-Etienne emerged victorious over Metz in the final to earn promotion to Ligue 1.
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The paperwork for Mbappe’s takeover was reportedly completed on Wednesday morning. He will buy out American investment firm Oaktree Capital – who took over Italian giants Inter in May – with Pierre-Antoine Capton set to hold on to the other 20% of Caen.
Caption said: “It is an incredible opportunity for Stade Malherbe Caen to be able to count on Coalition Capital for its development. Its values, commitments and extraordinary vision of sport are unique assets for this project.”
A club statement added: “This transaction marks a significant step in the club’s strategic development and reinforces its natural ambition to remain among the historic places in French football.”
The Daily Mail add that Mbappe’s image consultant Ziad Hammoud is intended to be installed as president of Caen once the takeover is done, with Mbappe aiming to focus on developing young players through the club.
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