Real Madrid News
Real Madrid line up summer move for Mbappe after he tells PSG he will not renew
The Kylian Mbappe saga is well and truly back. Real Madrid’s desperate attempts to sign the French star have not borne fruition so far, but the situation this time around feels different.
Florentino Perez’s admiration of Mbappe is well known. In fact, the Real Madrid president was reported to be willing to even drop the team’s pursuit of Harry Kane earlier this month in anticipation of the World Cup winner’s arrival next summer.
According to a flurry of reports and rapid developments over the past 12 hours, there is an increasing chance that a move materialises this year itself.
Santi Aouna claims that Real Madrid plan to sign the phenom in the coming month and that Perez has been in direct conversation with the youngster for weeks now.
Mbappe conveyed his intention to leave the club on a free transfer next summer by means of a letter to the PSG hierarchy and has ruled out any chance of renewing his contract.
Fabrizio Romano provides a deeper insight into the situation in Paris. According to the ever-reliable Italian journalist, the relationship between PSG and Mbappe is very tense.
The Parisians are unhappy that the news first reached the media before being communicated to them and are also surprised over the timing of such news given that the player was in talks to renew his deal. They believe that they have been stabbed in the back by their star player and refuse to let him leave on a free transfer next summer.
The doors from Paris are thus open for sale this summer itself. PSG will sell Mbappe to the highest bidder this summer. The New York Times state that an offer of €185 million would tempt the French club, and Real Madrid are the favourites to snap up his signature.
Despite the rapid progress, the story is far from complete. Los Blancos face steep competition in the race for the youngster, with several Premier League clubs interested and willing to splash the cash. Liverpool, Manchester United, and Liverpool are some of the other top teams attentive to his situation.
All in all, the Mbappe transfer saga is back on the centre stage and Real Madrid will be hoping to be second-time lucky after missing out on his signing last summer.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid retain total confidence in Carlo Ancelotti despite derby disaster – report
Sunday night was a disappointing one for Real Madrid as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby at the Civitas Metropolitano.
The Merengues suffered their first defeat of the 2023/24 season as former striker Alvaro Morata scored a brace for the Rojiblancos while Antoine Griezmann was also on target.
Real Madrid might be feeling aggrieved by some of the calls made by the referee on the night but they were just not good enough to secure all three points at the Metropolitano.
Real Madrid retain full confidence in Ancelotti
Despite the disappointing performance and outcome, Real Madrid retain their full and total confidence in manager Carlo Ancelotti, reports Jose Felix Diaz (via RM4Arab).
There had been question marks about the team selection made by the manager for the derby against Atletico Madrid.
After all, the Italian opted to bench Joselu from the starting XI to bring in Luka Modric and shift the tactics.
Aurelien Tchouameni was also left out despite being one of the team’s strongest performers this season with Toni Kroos being preferred.
The Real Madrid hierarchy wishes for the manager to trust the next-gen midfield for the big games but Ancelotti’s selection indicated that he is still not ready to do so.
Despite there being some differences, the board retains full confidence in Ancelotti.
Ancelotti accepts blame for defeat
It was a disappointing performance from Real Madrid in their biggest test of the 2023/24 season so far and speaking after the match, manager Ancelotti accepted the blame for the outcome.
“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. It’s my fault,” Ancelotti said.
With the game done and dusted, Real Madrid now turn their focus towards producing a strong comeback when they face Las Palmas later this week.
