The ideal Champions League final is within reach if Mbappé and Real Madrid can deliver

The tantalizing prospect of Kylian Mbappé squaring up to Real Madrid in the Champions League final looms large.

Mbappé becomes a free agent at the end of the season when Madrid is favorite to finally land the forward it has coveted for so long.

Before that there are trophies to be won, with none bigger in club soccer than the Champions League.

Madrid has dominated the competition with 14 wins, while Paris Saint-Germain and Mbappé are still waiting for their first.

Mbappé's imminent departure has partly been attributed to PSG's failure to transfer its domestic dominance to the continent. How ironic then if the France forward triumphed in his final year at the club, especially against the team he looks likeliest to join.

Conversely, a record-extending 15th crown for Madrid at the expense of PSG would serve only to confirm to Mbappé that his ambitions are best served at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

With PSG and Madrid kept apart in the draw, either narrative is in play, but the Champions League has a habit of getting in the way of such well-laid plans.

REVENGE MISSION

A repeat of the 2013 final anyone?

Bayern beat Dortmund the last time the final was staged at Wembley Stadium, which is the venue again this year. How Dortmund — then coached by Jurgen Klopp — would love to avenge that loss 11 years on.

Dortmund is the outsider to win the trophy having unexpectedly advanced to the semifinals in a season when it trails German champion Bayer Leverkusen by 23 points and may have to rely on a bonus fifth-place spot to qualify for next year's Champions League.

PERFECT SENDOFF

Mbappe isn't the only person targeting a fairy tale finale. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is stepping down at season's end after the German giant's 11-year Bundesliga title-winning streak was broken by Leverkusen.

In a summer when big jobs will be available at the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona, Tuchel could do with rebuilding his reputation by winning a second Champions League trophy, having previously lifted it with Chelsea in 2021.

KANE'S WAIT

Harry Kane was expected to finally end his wait to win major silverware when he joined Bayern from Tottenham last summer.

It hasn't worked out that way so far.

Despite the England striker continuing his outstanding scoring form in Germany with 39 goals in all competitions, the Champions League is his last chance of a trophy in his first season at the club.

What better place to end that drought than at English soccer's national stadium?

FALLEN CHAMPION

Manchester City's hopes of starting a new period of European dominance were ended by the all-time king of Europe, Madrid.

Despite dominating the semifinals second leg, Pep Guardiola's team could not take advantage, drawing 1-1 through extra time and 4-4 on aggregate before losing in a penalty shootout 4-3.

A lack of cutting edge at Etihad Stadium proved City's undoing and continued a theme against elite teams this season. City has not won in seven games against Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool this term. Having lost key players such as Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez after last season's treble of trophies, it was revealing the lack of game-changing players Guardiola could summon from the bench against Madrid.

With Erling Haaland failing to score in four games against Madrid, perhaps Guardiola will look for more firepower in the offseason.

BARCELONA UNCERTAINTY

Missing out on the semifinals denied Barcelona some 12.5 million euros ($13.4 million) in prize money that would have helped its poor finances. While Madrid is waiting to welcome Mbappé, Barcelona is expected to have to sell players after having already sold off club assets, including part of its future television revenues, in recent years.

The loss to PSG this week ended an unbeaten run of 13 games since coach Xavi Hernández said in January he will step down after the season.

Barcelona’s only hope to send Xavi away with a title depends on winning at Madrid on Sunday and hoping its rival goes into a tailspin in what remains of the Spanish league. Madrid leads Barcelona by eight points.

SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE

Bayern will host Madrid and Dortmund is home against PSG in the first legs of the semifinals.

Bayern-Madrid is on April 30, and Madrid will stage the return leg on May 8.

Dortmund-PSG is on May 1, and PSG has the second leg on May 7.

The final is at Wembley in London on June 1.

AP Sports Writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez, right, and Barcelona's Raphinha salute supporters at the end of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Dortmund's scorers Ian Maatsen, right, and Marcel Sabitzer, left, celebrate with the team after winning the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Dortmund won the match 4-2 and reached the semifinals against PSG. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's players celebrate with fans after winning the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Dortmund stands in the semifinal against PSG. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Bayern's head coach Thomas Tuchel greets fans prior the start of the Champions League quarter final second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Arsenal's Ben White, left, and Bayern's Harry Kane run for the ball during the Champions League quarter final second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christian Bruna)

PSG's Kylian Mbappe celebrates at the end of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates at the end of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Real Madrid's Nacho celebrates victory in front of their fans during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Real Madrid Fans celebrate victory during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A wealthy Silicon Valley-backed campaign to build a green city for up to 400,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area has submitted what it says are enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the November election.

The campaign submitted more than 20,000 signatures but would need only about 13,000 valid ones to qualify for the ballot. If verified by Solano County’s elections office, voters will decide in the fall whether to allow urban development on land currently zoned for agriculture. The land-use change would be necessary for the development to be built.

Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader who heads the company behind the campaign, California Forever, said at a news conference Tuesday that he heard from thousands of people who want careers and homes in the county where they grew up but can no longer afford because of high housing costs and a lack of nearby work.

“They are fed up with this malaise that's plagued California for the last 20 years with this culture of saying no to everything that has made it increasingly impossible for working families to reach the California dream,” he said.

The yet-unnamed development would mix homes, green space, a walkable downtown and jobs between Travis Air Force Base and the Sacramento River Delta city of Rio Vista. Sramek said he expects to start with 50,000 residents within the next decade, with homes starting at $400,000. The median sale price of a home in March was closer to $600,000, according to Redfin.

The controversial project has wealthy and powerful backers, including philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. The campaign declined to disclose how much money they spent to collect the signatures, saying that information would be available eventually.

It also faces strong opposition by some elected officials and other critics who say Sramek’s plan is a speculative money grab that’s light on details.

Sramek outraged locals by quietly purchasing more than $800 million in farmland since 2018 and even suing farmers who refused to sell. Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, who oppose the project, were initially alarmed that foreign adversaries or investors might be buying up the land because of its proximity to the Air Force base.

“What people are really upset about are the tactics being used to obtain the goal at the end. The promise of jobs and affordable housing, that's not a guarantee," said Princess Washington, mayor pro tem of Suisun City. “What we’re looking at is a policy change, and overturning of our stance against sprawl development.”

Sramek unveiled plans for the development in January but had to amend the land-use change ballot initiative twice to address county and Air Force concerns. The delays haven't slowed the project's timeline.

The proposal includes an initial $400 million to help residents and Air Force base families buy homes in the community or for new affordable housing, as well as an initial guarantee of 15,000 local jobs paying a salary of at least $88,000 a year.

California is desperate for more housing, but critics of the project say it would be more environmentally sound to build within existing cities than to convert designated farmland.

AP journalist Terry Chea contributed to this report from Solano County.

Suisun City Mayor Pro Tem Princess Washington stands next to the Suisun Slough in Suisun City on April 30, 2024. She's part of a coalition called California Together that opposes the new Solano County city proposed by California Forever. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Jan Sramek, CEO of California Forever, speaks at a news conference announcing that his group has submitted signatures for a November ballot measure that would clear hurdles to build a new city in Solano County. Vallejo, Calif. April 30, 2024 (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

FILE - A map of a new proposed community in Solano County, Calif., is displayed during a news conference in Rio Vista, Calif. on Jan. 17, 2024. The Silicon Valley-backed campaign to build a new city in California for up to 400,000 people said Tuesday, April 30, 2024, it has submitted enough signatures to qualify an initiative for the November election. (AP Photo/Janie Har, File)