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France forward Kylian Mbappe is reportedly set to become the new majority owner of French Ligue 2 side SM Caen as part of a £17m takeover.
The 25-year-old, who signed for Real Madrid earlier this summer after a long-running transfer saga and was unveiled in front of around 80,000 fans, is set to become one of the youngest football club owners in Europe.
He has reportedly invested around €15m (£12.6m) of his own money via the Coalition Capital investment fund.
The deal will see Mbappe acquire around 80 per cent of the club’s capital, replacing the previous majority shareholder, American investment fund Oaktree, who recently took control of Inter Milan in May.
The remaining 20 per cent of the club is held by Pierre Antoine Capton, the president of the club’s supervisory board.
The deal sees Mbappe maintain his presence in French football despite departing Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. The Frenchman supposedly came close to joining Caen in 2012, before he chose Monaco as a teenager after the Normandy club were relegated.
Caen were most recently relegated from the top flight of French football in 2019, though it is understood that Mbappe and his family have maintained good relations with the club ever since he came close to joining.
Mbappe is expected to appoint close friend Ziad Hammoud, who oversees his image company, as the new club president, though it is unclear exactly what the Frenchman’s other plans are in terms of appointments and funds invested into the club.
Reports in France suggest that Mbappe is keen to maintain the club’s identity and focus on the development of young players.
Caen, who finished fifth in the league last season, begin their Ligue 2 campaign on 17 August against Paris FC, just one day before Mbappe will likely make his LaLiga debut for Real Madrid against RCD Mallorca.
