Bayern Munich sporting director speaks out against signing fees in Kylian Mbappé’s transfer to Real Madrid

Max Eberl addresses the press ahead of Vincent Kompany’s first press conference as newly appointed Bayern Munich manager.

On top of La Liga and Supercopa de España victories, Real Madrid capped off a stellar season by adding yet another Champions League trophy to their illustrious cabinet.

Los Blancos have not just been successful on the pitch but off the pitch too, adding 25-year-old French superstar, Kylian Mbappe, to their ranks on a mouthwatering contract.

Speaking the Süddeutsche Zeitung (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich sporting director, Max Eberl, hit out at the signing fees involved in the transfer of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid.

“You can always become more of a money-grubbing person, but everyone who is a money-grubbing person will gradually become the nail in football’s coffin. If all the money goes out [of the market] at some point, then there will be nothing left for us to do business with. We’re talking about hundreds of millions. That’s too much and at some point you get the feeling that it will burst,” Eberl said. “So, at some point it will be oversaturated and Saudi Arabia will come along. That doesn’t feel very good. I have to say that to be fair, but that’s the market right now. The money is leaving the market. No club benefits from it. Players, families, agents, everyone benefits, but not the clubs. In the past, at least clubs profited. The money stayed in the cycle and that will become less and less now.

“Of course I know that I won’t be celebrated here if we finished fifth, but our deposit account has increased by another amount. You just want to bring the two into harmony. Bayern has managed to do that time and time again. Of course I also want to be successful. As the person responsible for sports, I’m also in this dilemma.”

For context, Kylian Mbappe has signed a five-year deal and is set to earn €15m a year after taxes with a €150m signing on fee paid out over the course of his contract. Should the signing bonus be paid out in equal amounts over his five year contract, that equates to an extra €30m per year and on top of his base salary will take Mbappé’s yearly earnings up to €45m.

It’s not difficult to understand why a club like Bayern, who’s highest paid player player (Harry Kane) comes in at a “meager” €25m per year, would be bothered by competing against clubs who are able to offer mega salaries like Real Madrid.

The verdict is still out on big money deals in football and how it will affect clubs, players and fans alike, but if what Eberl says is correct, it paints a grim picture for the future of football.

Looking for some thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s pursuit of João Palhinha, how he might fit in the squad, and what the roster fallout might look like? Then check out our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show, where we also hit on why Sky Sport’s report on six big player sales might not be so far offbase and why the German national team did not give fans a ton of confidence after the friendlies against Ukraine and Greece. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: