Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez’s good relationship with Qatar will help Real Madrid’s Mbappe pursuit
Real Madrid have been in the race to sign Kylian Mbappe for several years now. In fact, the Merengues have negotiated with Paris Saint-Germain on multiple occasions, but their efforts to date bore no fruit.
The closest that the Spanish giants got to signing Mbappe was back in the summer of 2022. Everything appeared set for the deal to go through on deadline day, but a last-minute turn of tables saw the Frenchman extend his deal with PSG.
Prior to that, Real Madrid had also made attempts to sign the 24-year-old superstar in 2021, by lodging offers in excess of €150 million, but PSG never responded.
According to reports from Romain Molina (h/t Madrid Xtra), Florentino Perez repeatedly called Mbappe that summer to tell him that PSG were not responding to his offers back in 2021.
The young phenom was left heartbroken and almost reduced to tears when the move collapsed. Signing for Real Madrid, after all, is his biggest dream. However, when he did have the chance to sign for free last year, the attacker ended up renewing with PSG.
The journalist adds that the situation is different this time around. Perez now has a great relationship with the higher-ups in Qatar, and that would go a long way in facilitating Mbappe’s move to Spain.
Real Madrid are willing to go all out and bring the youngster in this summer. The hefty price tag of €200 million does not frighten Perez, as he sees it as a bargain fee for the quality and longevity Mbappe would offer.
However, the situation is far more complicated than it appears at first sight.
If reports are to be believed, Mbappe is pushing to stay at PSG until next season for financial reasons. The youngster does not want to let go of the €150 million he is supposed to earn next season or the signing bonus that he would receive from Real Madrid if he joined as a free agent.
Needless to say, the new set of factors makes the World Cup winner’s situation unclear. Any developments, it appears, will have to come from France.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid rising star suffered against Atletico due to veteran forward’s absence, says Simeone
Real Madrid’s 3-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid was not the first time were in trouble this season. In fact, the Merengues have gone behind early in almost every league game so far.
However, the difference on Sunday night was that they never really mounted a comeback. More importantly, Jude Bellingham did not come good, for the first time.
Simeone unravels the mystery
A jubilant Diego Simeone spoke to the media after his side downed Real Madrid by three goals to one and spoke about a plethora of topics.
Interestingly, he commented specifically on why Bellingham did not have an impact at Civitas Metropolitano, citing the absence of Joselu as a key factor.
“No, the spaces were reduced and I think that Joselu’s lack of presence left him with fewer chances to get there, when he takes advantage of Joselu’s aerial play. We controlled him better, he’s extraordinary,” he said, as quoted by AS.
He even called out the refereeing on the night and insisted that the Real Madrid star-boy should have seen red for his late tackle on Angel Correa, saying:
“It looked like a sending-off to me live, it was a hard leg up, with Angelito hitting the ball.”
Ironically, he defended his defender Jose Maria Gimenez for an equally threatening tackle on the night.
“A bad foul, it’s a yellow card because it goes sideways. Bellingham goes from the front and I think it’s a bit more,” he stated paradoxically.
No time to lament
The game at Civitas Metropolitano may not have gone Real Madrid’s way. Yet, it is good for the Merengues to taste defeat early and see the gaping holes in their dynamic.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted in his press conference that he bore the lion’s share of the fault for Sunday’s loss and that he would have done things differently if given the chance.
“Maybe I could have done it better. It’s pretty clear. When the team doesn’t do what it has to do, it’s my responsibility,” he stated.
Nevertheless, Los Blancos have a hectic schedule ahead with two games in the next five days and a UCL fixture against Napoli next week. With Vinicius Jr back, one hopes they find their mojo once again.
