Real Madrid News
Real Madrid hope to announce Mbappe’s signing by the second week of August – report
Rodrigo Faez of ESPN reports that Real Madrid want to get a deal done with PSG for Kylian Mbappe this week. If everything goes to plan, they hope to announce his arrival by the second week of August and have him in time for La Liga.
For a while, it was believed that Los Blancos were not going to sign the French phenom this summer. With Mbappe unwilling to compromise on the bonuses owed to him by PSG, a move was only seen as possible in 2024.
Moreover, Real Madrid have maintained a low profile on the front of Mbappe’s transfer in recent weeks. However, things appear to be picking up pace in the background, with the latest report suggesting a transfer may very well be close..
PSG are preparing without Mbappe
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi did not hesitate to omit the winger’s name from PSG’s pre-season squad travelling to Asia earlier this month and it is clear that the French side are preparing for life without him.
The Parisian giants are now close to signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele and likely see him as a replacement for Mbappe.
With the doors back into Luis Enrique’s side looking shut, an immediate move to the Santiago Bernabeu would appear to be Mbappe’s only option.
A strong position
Real Madrid find themselves to be in a position of strength, for it is PSG who are under pressure to sell the star.
Their potential return from his sale continues to fall with every passing day, and Real Madrid could thus end up getting their target for a budget deal.
Mbappe will entertain no name other than Real Madrid, and the Parisiens will likely be left to choose between losing him on a free transfer next summer or a budget fee this time around.
In either case, Los Blancos stand to benefit massively and the hope is that the deal could be concluded by the second week of August, ideally before the La Liga campaign kicks off.
Real Madrid can’t seem to catch a break, as far as La Liga is concerned.
After a defeat to Atletico Madrid, where the referee made a few controversial calls, Real Madrid’s recent game against Villarreal was also mired in controversy, after Vinicius Jr. was sent off and his goal disallowed.
The Brazilian now faces the possibility of facing a lengthened suspension that could rule him out of El Clasico later this month.
Real Madrid frustrated over kickoff time vs Valencia
Now, Real Madrid have found themselves another issue, this time regarding the kickoff time for their upcoming La Liga game.
According to AS, Real Madrid are unhappy with the slot LaLiga has handed them for their Matchday 12 meeting with Valencia.
Madrid face AEK Athens in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 4 at 6:45 PM, only for LaLiga to then schedule the Valencia clash for Saturday, November 7 at 9:00 PM.
With the squad set to land back in the capital in the early hours, Mourinho’s men will have little more than Thursday and Friday to prepare for a Valencia side that has proven stubborn of late.
Club sources describe “enormous unease and surprise” at the decision, precisely because it hits the players so directly.
Rivals handed the kinder draw
The frustration deepens when Madrid look across at their title rivals.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal all play their European fixtures a day earlier, on Tuesday, November 3, and then feature in LaLiga on Sunday, November 8.
Betis, who travel to Borussia Dortmund on the Wednesday, are likewise handed a Sunday slot.
That leaves Real Madrid as the only one of the five Spanish sides in Europe forced to play on the Saturday, surrendering a full day of recovery to their competitors.
From the dressing room’s point of view, there is no logic to it. With an international break following that weekend, and no midweek European or Cup commitments to juggle, Madrid see no reason the game could not have been pushed to Sunday.
