Report: Real Madrid on verge of record €180M deal for Mbappe

Real Madrid is ready to smash the transfer record for AS Monaco star Kylian Mbappe, with Marca reporting that the Spanish giant has agreed in principle to sign the 18-year-old for €180 million.

The deal would see Los Blancos pay an initial €160-million fee for the electrifying teenager, with a further €20 million in add-ons. Though the reigning French champion has denied claims of an agreement, Sid Lowe of the Guardian reports that Madrid is "optimistic" a deal is close.

He adds that Madrid would pay Mbappe around €7 million per year on a six-year contract, a price made easier to pay since Real Madrid has parted ways with Alvaro Morata and Danilo this summer, and loaned out James Rodriguez to Bayern Munich.

The sale of Morata to Chelsea also opens up a need for reinforcements up top in Zinedine Zidane's squad, with Lowe reporting that Mbappe has been assured playing time such that there would be "departures that would facilitate his involvement."

For his part, Mbappe has made no secret of his desire to join his favourite club Real Madrid, despite drawing interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

But, as Zidane astutely offered: "Anything can happen between now and 31 August."