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.'