Real Madrid’s new player and the captain of the France national team Kylian Mbappe bought Ligue 2 club Caen as he has taken over as majority shareholder, the 25-year-old’s company Interconnected Ventures announced in a statement on Wednesday.
Mbappe, 25, was recently presented as a Real Madrid player at a jam-packed Santiago Bernabeu where he was welcomed by 80,000 fans.
As a youngster, Mbappe came close to signing for Caen but he has now bought 80 percent shares of the club through Coalition Capital, the investment entity of Interconnected Ventures, replacing US investment fund Oaktree as majority shareholder.
While no official figure has been released, reports from the French media put the acquisition fee at 15-20 million euros ($16-21.6 million).
"This transaction marks a significant step in the club's strategic development and reinforces its natural ambition to remain one of the most successful clubs in French football," the club said in a statement.
"This acquisition will provide Caen with additional strategic resources to strengthen its sporting policy, modernise its infrastructure and develop innovative projects."
Mbappe's close friend Ziad Hammoud will take over as chairman of the club.
"We are determined to create an environment where young talent can flourish and where the club can defend its identity with strength and ambition," Hammoud said in the press release.
Mbappe became one of the youngest owners of a professional club. He was courted by Caen at the age of 13 before he joined AS Monaco, where he announced himself to the world and was eventually signed by Paris Saint-Germain.
"You'd have to think that the time he spent at Caen in his youth left its mark on him! How proud we are to see a champion like @KMbappe investing in @SMCaen," the mayor of Caen Aristide Olivier posted on social media.
Founded in 1913, Caen finished fifth in Ligue 1 in 1992 and reached the League Cup final in 2005 however, they have been playing in France's second tier since 2019.
