Real Madrid can reignite their pursuit of French superstar Kylian Mbappé after the national team captain revealed to the Qatari-owned club that he will be leaving as a free agent at the end of the current season. The Los Blancos have for long been trying to acquire the former AS Monaco star and whilst the player is expected to inspire a bidding war, it is likely that the LALIGA giants grab hold of him ahead of the forthcoming footballing season.
🚨🇫🇷 Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool linked with Kylian Mbappé on English media: "I have no clue".
"I am not involved in that... but I can tell you that I would be surprised"."It would be tricky for most of the top clubs I know - wages, signing fee...". pic.twitter.com/vf5jfYN0Qi— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 17, 2024
Mbappé's arrival would give Madrid one of the top attacks in football, with him joining Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo. It would also give Europe’s most successful club a great outlook for the future, as Mbappé would be the oldest of the four at just 25 years old. Madrid made a big push to sign Mbappé in 2022, with one of its offers rejected by PSG reportedly reaching 200 million euros ($215 million).
Mbappé never hid his dream of one day playing for Madrid, but decided at the time that it was best to continue his “adventure” in Paris. It would be a much cheaper deal for Madrid now, as Mbappé will be a free agent after seven years with PSG. He informed the French club last year that he would not trigger an extension to the contract he signed in 2022.
"If we're going to be the best team, we're going to need the best talent" ⭐
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on the future of Kylian Mbappe, who has announced he will be leaving PSG in the Summer 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/PObqw6ZPL9— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 17, 2024
Madrid had failed to secure Mbappé even before that debacle a few years ago, when the player visited the club’s facilities at age 14 but instead decided to join Monaco’s youth academy. The most-recent failure was a big blow to Madrid fans, who felt it was only a matter of time for the transfer to happen.
The only doubts then were about where the young Frenchman would fit in the squad. Madrid supporters had even “welcomed” Mbappé by applauding him at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when he played with PSG in a Champions League match.
Kylian Mbappé: "Right before my 14th birthday, I got an incredible surprise. My father received a call from someone at Real Madrid, inviting me to come to Spain for a training session over the holiday break. It was a shock, because they actually told my father, “Zidane would like… pic.twitter.com/ocqLUgmPFF
— Players' Tribune Football (@TPTFootball) February 16, 2024
The inability to close the deal led to criticism toward Madrid president Florentino Pérez, and even prompted some backlash against Mbappé. Midfielder Federico Valverde said at the time that to be a Madrid player was “a privilege that not everyone can have.”
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Mbappé would have arrived to play alongside Karim Benzema, who left a year later and was never replaced by a top-level forward. Mbappé could be that replacement, finally giving Madrid a star who could possibly be on a similar level to former Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo.
(With AP inputs)
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