Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid Rumours Fire Up Once Again
Will the summer of 2023 spark another round of Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid transfer talks? At this point it sounds almost inevitable really. The French superstar has reportedly stated that he is unhappy at PSG. Despite a last-minute turnaround to stay with them in 2022, things have allegedly not gone to plan in Paris for the World Cup winner.
But with the world’s richest footballer now supposedly out of sorts with the Parisian club, will a move actually happen? What’s behind the latest round of upsets? Why only Real Madrid? We look into the ongoing saga of the Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid rumours.
Mbappe Real Madrid – Almost
But first, Kylian Mbappe is now the highest-earning footballer in the world. In a 2022 list released by Forbes, has the 23-year-old ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in earnings. The Ligue 1 superstar is set to earn a staggering $128 million (gross) for the 2022/23 season.
Mbappe was wrapped up in heavy Real Madrid transfer news in the summer of 2022. It looked set in stone that Mbappe was going to move to the Bernabéu. However, a late intervention from PSG, saw Mbappe extend his contract with the Ligue 1 giants. Real Madrid were spurned, and were not left happy.
Back in 2021 ahead of the UEFA European Championships, there were big Mbappe Real Madrid rumours going around. French president Emmanuel Macron said about the Mbappe Real Madrid transfer speculation that “It is important that he stays at PSG, both for the club and for the French championship.”
That’s how important, how big Mbappe has been to the club? But is he bigger than the club?
Mbappe got his money through the new PSG deal in May 2022. It seemingly ended all the immediate suspense of a proposed move to La Liga. But at the time, it was reported that he was also given promises about what would happen at the club.
If the rumours are true, it wasn’t just about the money for Mbappe to stay in Paris. He wanted the power as well to go along with it.
No Power, No Player?
A lot of the speculation about Kylian Mbappe’s reported unhappiness which dominated sports news in early October 2022, indicated that he has not been given the promised power. That PSG have not yielded to his demands about what happens on and off the pitch with the team.
Among the biggest sticking points for Mbappe, may be about controlling the futures of some of his current teammates. Particularly Brazilian superstar Neymar. But if he hasn’t got that power, does that mean PSG don’t get their player?
If the latest rumours of Mbappe being unsettled are untrue, something big is likely to have happened. It is less than six months after Kylian Mbappe signed a new three-year contract with Paris St-Germain. Is his relationship with PSG about to fall apart completely?
What Does Mbappe Want?
The rumours running through the mill hint that an unhappy Mbappe simply hasn’t got his way. Back in 2017 Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both made big moves to the French capital to join PSG. But Mbappe reportedly hasn’t wanted Neymar at the club for a while now. That the Brazilian wasn’t the right fit for the future of the team and for PSG to sell him.
During the 2022 summer transfer window, PSG were indeed supposedly considering selling Neymar. Neymar in turn took it that the club were trying to force him out because of the wishes of Kylian Mbappe. So things went a little frosty, but nothing happened.
It’s understood that Lionel Messi acted as a mediator between the two players in the dressing room. Messi trying to glue things together for the team and for the individuals, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Not Just Neymar Issues In Mbappe Real Madrid Links?
But a fallout with one player doesn’t seem like a particularly strong reason for the latest twist in Kylian Mbappe transfer rumours. While Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have reportedly had further issues about who is the primary penalty-taker at the club, it still seems like there has to be more going on behind the scenes.
Another of Mbappe’s beefs could be with head coach Christophe Galtier and his tactics. Mbappe doesn’t want to be a lone striker at the club. That’s not his best position and would prefer to be playing a support role to a main striker. A striker leading the front line is something that PSG don’t have and therefore don’t operate with.
For Mbappe to slot into his favoured position, he would need to see a new striker arrive at the club. It’s reported too, that Mbappe would like to see a new central defender arrive. But if Mbappe wants full control over transfer targets so that the PSG team can be built completely around him, that’s a tricky situation for PSG.
Luís Campos Says No
PSG Sporting Director Luís Campos has stated that Kylian Mbappe has not asked to be transferred in January. So is this simply a case of the player flexing his power muscles to try and remind the club that they have him for now, but they will need to play ball to keep him?
Even though there could be choppy waters ahead in the January transfer window to come, any Mbappe Real Madrid transfer would likely play out in the summer of 2023. PSG have a chance to firmly dig their heels in and not sanction a January transfer move.
The summer of 2023 is a quiet one. There are no distractions of a World Cup or European Championships. So clubs would have a little more time to sit at the table and thrash out a deal.
But the fact that PSG managed to convince Mbappe to stay earlier this year, puts the ball in their court. They still have UEFA Champions League ambitions, for which Mbappe is key. Fascinatingly too, PSG have some control now over where he goes.
They could, if they wanted to, refuse to sell him to Real Madrid.
How Can A Mbappe Real Madrid Deal Happen?
How can Real Madrid afford Kylian Mbappe? This is a serious question. The shiny new, much bigger Mbappe contract now makes it trickier for Real Madrid to come in and swoop him up. Back in the summer of 2022 Real Madrid offered Kylian Mbappe a financial package but as a free transfer. That’s because the previous Mbappe contract at PSG was about to expire. Real Madrid saw their chance.
The package was supposedly agreed upon. But it fell through at the 11th hour with PSG throwing a staggering signing-on bonus Mbappe’s way for the new contract. The news upset the president of Spain’s La Liga Javier Turbas who was unhappy about the money PSG, who have a massive wage bill already, gave Mbappe to stay.
So any January or summer transfer deal for Mbappe to move to Real Madrid would mean that the Spaniards would have to come up with a huge transfer fee. Plus wages. Plus agent fees. That’s not going to be easy. How much is Mbappe worth in terms of a transfer fee? According to Transfermarkt, around €160.00m.
Real Madrid appears to be Mbappe’s dream destination. But there’s no certainty that Real Madrid could afford to even shell out the money for Mbappe. There’s no certainty that the club would want him after Mbappe burned the bridge with Madrid president Florentino Perez last summer.
Forbes Rch List 2022 – Highest Paid Footballers
- Kylian Mbappe $128 million
- Lionel Messi $120 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo $100 million
- Neymar Jr $87 million
- Mohamed Salah $53 million
- Erling Halland $39 million
- Robert Lewandwoksi $35 million
- Eden Hazard #31 million
- Andres Iniesta $30 million
- Kevin De Bruyne $29 million
Who Could Afford A Mbappe Contract?
Kylian Mbappe makes around £72 million per annum. That’s a huge dent in the books for any club. It’s possible that in any transfer, the player would be looking to improve upon that as well.
If Real Madrid can’t afford him now, where could he go? Where could he fit in? Would Chelsea, supported by new owner Todd Boehly make a move for Mbappe, or maybe Manchester City or Manchester United? Kylian Mbappe to the Premier League would be startling news.
One team that could be on the alert now is Barcelona. Despite all of their reported financial woes, Barca, through their wheeling and dealing appears to have freed up cash. If the door to Real Madrid has been closed, the Blaugrana could potentially offer Mbappe a way out.
The La Liga giants were reportedly interested in signing him from Monaco back in 2017 before he settled on PSG. It is speculation that is going to roll on and on.
Mbappe’s Career In Brief
Kylian Mbappe came through the ranks at Monaco before making his debut with the Ligue 1 side in 2015. During his time with Monaco, he collected the 2016/17 Ligue 1 title, chipping in with 26 goals from 44 appearances for the club in all competitions.
In 2017 he went to PSG initially on a loan. He then in turn, signed a permanent contract with them, costing the Paris side around €145 million plus add-ons. On making his move to PSG permanent, Mbappe became the most expensive teenager in the world.
His numbers in the French top flight are tremendous. In his first season with PSG after signing permanently, he scored 33 league goals in 29 appearances. He weighed in with 18 in 20 appearances the following season. Mbappe was then the league’s top scorer for two seasons running.
He has also racked up further domestic titles like the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue and he is a World Cup Winner. Mbappe was part of the France side that lifted the 2018 World Cup title, scoring in the Final as France beat Croatia 4-2.
But there is one glaring omission from the player’s list of honours. That’s the UEFA Champions League title. Mbappe came close in 2020, but PSG were defeated in the final by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
There is no doubt that new horizons await Kylian Mbappe. Will it be at Real Madrid or will he have to look elsewhere?
