Real Madrid News
Real Madrid rule out Kylian Mbappe move in 2024 for three reasons – report
In a shocking development Spanish outlet Cadena SER is reporting that Real Madrid have decided to not pursue the signing of PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2024.
Mbappe has been the long-term dream target of the Spanish capital club for a number of years now.
The Merengues came within whiskers of signing the French international in 2022 for free before he made a U-turn and renewed his contract with PSG.
There were strong rumours of a potential transfer this past summer as well, but nothing came of it, although several reliable sources indicated that the Frenchman continued to Real Madrid’s main objective for the summer of 2024.
No more Mbappe?
But if the report from Cadena SER is to be believed, Real Madrid have definitively ruled out a move for Mbappe, even if he does not sign a new contract with PSG and becomes available fore free in the summer of 2024.
This comes as a huge shock, considering that the French World Cup winner has been the long-desired target of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
The report states that Los Blancos consider the Mbappe soap opera closed for good, irrespective of what his contractual situation is come the end of the season.
Three reasons behind move
It is further stated that there are three primary reasons behind Real Madrid taking such a drastic stance as far as Mbappe’s pursuit is concerned.
Firstly, the impact that Mbappe would have on the club’s salary scale is seen as a hindrance, considering that the Frenchman would command wages in excess of €20 million per year, not to mention the signing-on bonus that would also need to be offered if he joins for free.
To put things into context, Real Madrid’s in-form player, Jude Bellingham, is on wages worth around €9 million per season.
Apart from the wages, Los Blancos also consider that Mbappe’s signing would not fit into the club’s recent recruitment policy which focuses on spending big on younger players.
The Frenchman would almost be 26 if he joins next summer, which reportedly goes against Los Blancos’ ideology.
Finally, Mbappe’s rejection in 2022 is seen as another reason for not signing him next year as Real Madrid fear his arrival would create a divide between the club members.
Updates from more reliable sources are awaited on the matter, though, especially considering that Mbappe has been the the club’s main object of desire for years.
Real Madrid’s main goal heading into the summer transfer window was to wrap up the signing of Jude Bellingham amid massive interest from Premier League giants such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola’s City, especially, were ready to match and increase any salary Madrid offered, and were going strongly into the bidding war.
Eventually, Bellingham decided to join Madrid after they reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for €3 million.
However, following this, los blancos had to improvise a fair bit as Karim Benzema decided to leave the club to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. They were expecting him to continue for another season, at least, and it stumped their plans in the market.
In the next few weeks, Madrid chased forwards, and ended up signing Joselu, Brahim Diaz, and a certain Arda Guler, who was close to Barcelona before eventually ending up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately for Madrid, he is yet to play a single minute for the club after picking up a serious injury in pre-season. Despite being on the bench for a couple of games, Guler suffered a relapse in training, and was sidelined again.
Now, reports from Yagiz Sabuncuoglu say that the Turkish international is close to returning to team training.
Guler has slowly, but surely, been recovering from his injury, and could take to the pitch for his first minutes with the club in the next few weeks as Madrid look for solutions after a month full of injuries.
With Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois all out until early 2024, Madrid have relied on Castilla for reinforcements, but could do with Guler’s services in their forward line.
That said, Carlo Ancelotti and co. are expected to be extremely cautious when it comes to the Turkish international. The slightest spell of poor man-management here could make or break the youngster’s career.
