Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly rejected a €160m bid for Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid. The Spanish giants are long-term admirers of the World Cup-winning attacker and want to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu before the end of the current transfer window.
As per reports, Real Madrid officials believe that it will be difficult to bring the Frenchman to the club this season. Further reports suggest that PSG would require a fee of around €200m to allow Mbappe to leave the club in the current transfer window. A €200m transfer fee would eclipse the €180m that PSG paid for him in 2018.
Mbappe has just one year remaining on his current deal at PSG and can speak to other clubs in January before leaving on a free transfer next summer. The 22-year-old joined the French side from AS Monaco in 2017, first on loan before making it a permanent transfer. The €180m transfer fee made him the second most expensive transfer in world football, behind his teammate Neymar’s move from Barcelona to PSG.
The French star is reportedly a Real Madrid fan and idolized former Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Cristiano was my idol when I was young and it was great to meet him when I went to [Real’s training ground] Valdebebas. I adored him when I was young, but that ended,” said Mbappe in 2017.
Before joining AS Monaco’s academy, Mbappe had trained with several of Europe’s elite clubs, one of which was Real Madrid. He was close to joining Madrid before signing with PSG but chose the Parisian club as he was guaranteed a first-team spot by then Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is keen on bringing new faces to the club to rebuild an aging Madrid side. Earlier this year, he spoke about Mbappe potentially signing with the club.
“If I saw Mbappé and Benzema together in the selection? Yes. Who could think they wouldn’t get along? (to laugh). Everyone knows my policy. It makes sense that the best players play here, with a mix between the best players and youngsters. This is what has given us so much success in recent years,” said the Real Madrid President.
Mbappe is regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football, who has achieved a lot at just 22 years of age. He has scored over 130 goals for PSG, won three French league titles, and was a key player in France’s World Cup win in 2018. Many fans had hoped to see him play alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi this season, but that may not happen if Real Madrid and Florentino Perez have their way.
