Criminal ring targeting Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé busted in France

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe was among high-profile figures targeted in a kidn@pping plot by a French gang, French authorities have revealed.

The plot reportedly targeted 26 celebrities, including footballers, rappers and wealthy businessmen.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported the plot was allegedly orchestrated by an 18-year-old  named Clement L.

The gang leader had already been jailed for armed robbery, after being identified as one of two men involved in an attack on a watchmaker in Paris.

It was discovered that Clement L had already been in pre-trial detention for pimping, as well as organised robbery.

The gang leader was detained but was then discovered to have been sending orders from his cell via two mobile phones on Snapchat under the alias Lester Z.

A source close to the case told Le Parisien that the addresses of 26 wealthy individuals, including Mbappe, had been discovered on the phones.

The star was among a list including a Chinese businessman, jewellers, and a Turkish meat trader.

‘Two phones were seized by prison guards, and their contents were highly revealing,’ the source said.

‘He also wanted to go after a rapper and the footballer Kylian Mbappe.’

When questioned, the teenager claimed he was not the mastermind of the plot and had requested he be let out of solitary confinement.