Bellingham was for the Norwegian. And Haaland was ready to leave City to join the Real Madrid project. The magic of Real even today is that all the best players in the world want to play for the club, taking a cut in wages in the process, something unthinkable in the professional world where salaries make the difference. Haaland said yes to Bellingham and he passed this on to the president. 

And Mbappé knew. If he didn’t sign, Haaland would, as the Norwegian has a termination clause to leave, and the Spanish giants were prepared to pay it since Haaland’s salary would be sustainable for the club. This pressure, and this pressure alone, is the reason why Mbappé’s salary will not be as high as it was at PSG. 

If you want to be here, these are the terms. Haaland agreed and Mbappé had no choice but to do the same because he was out of contract and Real were not about to enter into any dispute with PSG. Real Madrid has emerged the winners. Mbappé has been left without a transfer bonus and without the PSG renewal bonus to 2025. It was not a question of money but of Haaland.