Courtois was 'dying for years' to join Real Madrid - after Mbappe rejected club

Thibaut Courtois has claimed he was 'dying for years' to join Real Madrid as the club responds to Kylian Mbappe's shocking snub of the Spanish giants.

Paris Saint-Germain's star forward, 23, was expected to join Los Blancos this summer on a free transfer when his contract in the French capital expired.

However, he eventually agreed a gargantuan new three-year deal at the Parc des Princes which will see him become the world's highest-paid footballer, on around £1million-a-week, with LaLiga set to file a complaint about the deal.

The reaction from Spain has been one of surprise, shock and anger - and Real goalkeeper Courtois, speaking ahead of the club's Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday, insisted he knows the value of playing for the historic club.

He said: 'Each player makes their own choices and decisions, and no one can know why they make them.

'I, personally, was dying for years, because I wanted to come to Real Madrid, and now I know how special it is to play at Real Madrid.'

Real were prepared to give Mbappe a signing-on fee of £110m and wages of £20m-a-year after tax, with an overall investment of circa £300m in the deal, according to reports.

After signing the contract, Mbappe said: 'I would like to announce that I have chosen to extend my contract at Paris Saint-Germain, and of course I am delighted.

'I am convinced I can continue to grow at a club that provides everything necessary to perform at the highest level. I am also delighted to continue to play in France, the country where I was born, where I have grown up and where I have made my name.'