Explained: How Real Madrid can afford to buy Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in the same transfer window

• Huge outlay this transfer window
• Club has made profit in recent years
• High-profile departures opened up wage bill

WHAT HAPPENED? The news that Real Madrid are willing to pay a whopping €200 million for PSG star Kylian Mbappe has made the prospect of him joining Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital increasingly likely. But many football fans have been wondering exactly how the La Liga giants are able to afford both players in the same window.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Real Madrid's widely publicised net worth of €500 million, accumulated over years of saving, according to Revelo, is a hugely important factor. The departures of high-profile, high-earning players such as Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, and Marco Asensio this summer have also opened up crucial room in Madrid's wage bill. Meanwhile, the staggering of transfer fees over the length of a contract — for example, Jude Bellingham's €100m move will be split across his five-year deal — makes the burden of big money transfers such as these less impactful.

AND WHAT'S MORE: On top of the spreading of transfer fees over long contracts, as well as the crucial departure of high-paid senior players, it's important to also consider the Bernabeu factor. Once Real Madrid's brand-new stadium is fully built, it will be a major source of revenue for the club, an "income-generating machine" according to Revelo. That means that spending big on Bellingham and Mbappe when they're both available is an investment worth making, considering the success they're likely to bring the club in the coming years, and the cash that will be coming in elsewhere.

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR MADRID? Having lost out on the league title to Barcelona, Real Madrid will be confident that the addition of two hugely talented young stars in Bellingham and Mbappe will make them far more equipped to triumph in La Liga next season. Ancelotti's future at the club was recently confirmed, a major boost for a squad needing a reshuffle under the guidance of an experienced campaigner.