Real Madrid News
Chelsea legend tells Real Madrid to sign Mbappe over Haaland: “Would be more suited”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with AS, ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Chelsea, former Blues superstar Gianfranco Zola has given his opinion on who among Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland should Los Blancos sign.
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with big moves for both Haaland and Mbappe for some time now. Los Blancos were close to signing the latter last summer but a move collapsed after he decided to renew his contract with PSG, while the former joined Manchester City.
However, both players continue to be very much on the radars of the reigning champions of Spain and Europe.
Haaland is understood to have a release clause in his contract which will become active next year, at which point Real Madrid could swoop in.
Meanwhile, Mbappe’s contract with PSG expires in 2024 and he would become a free agent, with recent reports suggesting that the French international wants to sign for Real Madrid after snubbing them last year.
And Chelsea legend Zola has now claimed that Real Madrid should sign Mbappe over Haaland as he would be more suited to the team and the style of play in Spain.
“I think Mbappé could be a better fit for the way the Spanish league is played. There, maybe you need an attacker who plays more, not so much an attacker who focuses only on scoring goals. More involved in the action than scoring,” he said.
“I think Kylian would be more suited to Madrid and the Spanish championship. But they are two very important players. Let’s do one thing: one to Madrid and the one left over, to Chelsea (laughs).”
With Karim Benzema in the final phase of his career, Real Madrid will need to bring in a long-term replacement. Only time will tell who among Mbappe and Haaland they decide to go after with greater fervour. But for now, the superstar duo continues to remain on the club’s agenda.
According to AS, Real Madrid have sent a three-year contract offer with improved wages to Dani Ceballos and trust that the midfielder will continue at the club.
Ceballos is the last among the seven Los Blancos’ stars who entered the 2022/23 season with an expiring contract whose future is yet to be resolved.
Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Karim Benzema have all left Real Madrid while Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Nacho Fernandez are all set to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu for one more year.
As such, Ceballos remains the only player whose future remains unclear at this point.
The 26-year-old Spanish international has shown that he can offer value to the team and the club and manager Carlo Ancelotti are understood to ‘love’ him and want to retain his services.
Fans, too, made their feelings about the midfielder very clear this past weekend when Real Madrid played Athletic Club, as they chanted ‘Ceballos, stay!’
The Merengues have sent in a three-year proposal to the former Real Betis ace which includes an improvement in his wages. As such, the club expect him to pen the deal and continue at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Ceballos is yet to make a decision as he is weighing up the fact that he will have to compete for a place with six other midfielders.
Indeed, Real Madrid already have Kroos, Modric, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni as competition for Ceballos. Now, they will also add Jude Bellingham to the roster, further amping up the battle for places.
Ceballos has two more offers apart from the one from Real Madrid – one from Spain and Italy each, although his former club Real Betis have not sent a proposal yet.
With the season over and less than three weeks left on his contract, it remains to be seen what the Real Madrid ace decides.
