Just when you thought the 2024 summer transfer window had reached its peak, the bombshell is dropped that Kylian Mbappe wants to join Real Madrid.
The astonishing news appears to have denied fans the opportunity to see a front three of Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi together at the Parc des Princes, though PSG remain determined to keep hold of the 22-year-old.
Source:caughtoffside.com
He has been at PSG since 2017 after signing from Monaco for €145 million, as well as €35 million in add-ons to make him the most expensive teenager of all-time. Mbappe, who was born in Paris, reportedly feels now is the time for him to move on and progress his career and play in a more competitive league than Ligue 1.
He has already won Ligue 1 four times in his career, as well as the Coupe de France three times and the Coupe de la Ligue twice, as well as the 2018 World Cup with France.
Real Madrid were previously interested in signing Mbappe when he left Monaco in 2017 but manager Zinedine Zidane could not promise him a starting role over the attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale. Four years on, he would become the poster boy of Real Madrid since the likes of Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos have moved on.
The signing would be a huge statement of intent for Madrid, who have made a £136m bid for the forward who is entering the final year of his contract at PSG. Should they reject the offer and keep hold of him until the end of the season, Mbappe will leave on a free transfer to join Madrid next summer after rejecting a number of proposals on fresh terms.
Eden Hazard has struggled with injuries since moving from Chelsea in 2019 and his lack of form and fitness has likely played a part in them moving for Mbappe. Real Madrid lost out on the La Liga title to city rivals Atletico last season by just two points and will be desperate to close the narrow gap to Diego Simeone’s team and win their 35th league title.
Real have completed just one deal this summer so far in David Alaba, who has arrived on a free transfer from Bayern Munich to fill the defensive void left by Ramos and Varane.
The bookmakers have made Madrid the favourites to sign Mbappe and if you are interested in placing bets on this market then be sure to head to Max Free Bets first. They are your one-stop resource for all of the best betting offers and free bets from the UK’s best betting sites, online bookmakers and betting apps. For the very best value on all of your football bets Max Free Bets should always be your first port of call.
Real Madrid – 4/9
Source:standard.co.uk
Real Madrid have now been installed as the odds-on favourites by the bookies to sign Mbappe before the end of the transfer window. An official bid of £136m has been made and will be difficult even for a club as wealthy as PSG to reject when they know that he can leave for free the following season. That, combined with the fact that Mbappe appears to have his heart set on a move to Madrid, makes it look more than likely that he will end up a Real Madrid player over the next two weeks.
It would be difficult to argue against the fact that Mbappe has well and truly outgrown Ligue 1 having achieved all there is to achieve from playing domestic football in France. He has scored 92 goals in 110 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG and some would argue that he is now playing third fiddle behind Messi and Neymar in the attacking pecking order. If he goes to Madrid he will almost certainly be the main man in what is a somewhat ageing team. Mbappe could become the start of a new era at Madrid, who have seen Ramos and Varane leave this summer and have key players in Hazard Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Marcelo all in their 30s. Madrid are used to signing the biggest and best talents in world football and Mbappe fits the profile of a Galactico that could play his best years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
To stay at PSG – 13/8
Source:barbados.loopnews.com
PSG look determined to keep Mbappe and there is still the possibility that he could play out the season in Paris. This transfer saga is far from a foregone conclusion given PSG’s limitless wealth that puts them in the envious position of being able to reject a £136m offer knowing that they could lose him for free in less than 12 months time. Having Mbappe, Neymer and Messi in the same side puts them as firm favourites to win the Champions League; the ultimate goal that has evaded the club to this point of the Qatar Sports Investment era. Seeing their no.7 leave would put a damper on an exciting summer that has seen them sign Messi, Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gini Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi.
PSG fans would’ve hoped to keep Mbappe to be the star of the present and future of the club, particularly once Messi and Neymar move on and he is truly handed the reins. Arguably no team in the world could offer Mbappe a more lucrative contract than PSG and there is always the chance that a contract offer comes in that is too good for him to turn down.
There has also been some reported interest from both Liverpool and Manchester United, but at this moment in time it looks as though it will be a one horse race in the pursuit of signing Mbappe from PSG. Madrid are the runaway favourites to capture his signature and it is certainly a deal that looks to have been on the horizon for some time, with their interest in him stretching back four years, while Mbappe’s childhood dream was to one day pull on the famous white strip.
