イギリス
The Kylian Mbappe transfer saga appears to be over, at least for this summer. The French forward has been fully reintegrated into the PSG squad as they delve deeper into their Ligue 1 title defence. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have not shown any interest in coughing up the cash to make a transfer offer.
After the first few games of the La Liga season, Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti said, “I 100% rule out any more signings [this summer].” The Italian spoke to the press ahead of Real Madrid’s third straight La Liga victory of the season, a string of results which have made it clear that they are coping well after the departure of Karim Benzema.
Do Madrid need to sign any strikers?
Real Madrid unexpectedly lost captain and star striker Karim Benzema at the start of the summer, and many expected them to immediately revive their interest in Mbappe. However, they had already signed Englishman Jude Bellingham at that point, and it now seems as though Ancelotti is determined to groom him into the Ballon d’Or winner’s replacement.
The Brazilian tandem of Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Jr. has proven to be highly effective last season, but even after Vini was sidelined by an injury, Bellingham has been able to pick up the slack.
Bellingham is the current top scorer in La Liga, having netted four goals in three appearances. He has played a vital role in helping Los Blancos secure all nine points thus far, making it even more clear that Real Madrid may not need to break the bank this summer in order to have a strong campaign.
In other words, Bellingham’s performances have slammed the door on Mbappe’s face. Real Madrid were previously eager to sign one of the world’s best young strikers in order to find a long-term replacement for Benzema, but now Bellingham is showing just how comfortable he is in filling that role.
PSG make a U-turn on Mbappe stance
Earlier this summer, Paris Saint-Germain gave Mbappe an ultimatum after the player refused to sign a contract extension until 2025. His contract is set to expire next summer, and PSG are livid that the player seems keen on leaving on a free transfer.
They iced him out of the pre-season preparations, even dropping him from the roster in their tour of Japan and South Korea. Mbappe was forced to train with the reserves for most of the summer, and it was even reported that he was set to be benched throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
Relations with PSG remained sour after Mbappe refused to entertain talks with Saudi club Al-Hilal, who were reportedly ready to pay PSG a massive transfer fee. The one-year deal would have also been a lucrative opportunity for the player, who would have been free to join Real Madrid in 2024 if he wished.
Real Madrid, has been linked with the Frenchman for the past two seasons, but the transfer does not seem to be happening this summer either. It may be remembered that Mbappe chose to renew with PSG in 2022, much to the disappointment of the Real Madrid faithful.
Links were rekindled after the player was put up for sale this year, but not a single offer has so far been made from the offices of Florentino Perez. PSG initially wanted €150 million for Mbappe, and later raised the price to over €200 million. Real Madrid were willing to pay that amount in 2022, but now that the player could be available for free in just 12 months, they do not appear keen to bring out the chequebook.
Now, with the summer window coming to a close, PSG have reintegrated Mbappe into the squad. He missed the opening game of the season, but the player appears to have been able to do something to get back in the club’s good graces. They even shared an appreciation post on social media, highlighting the player’s appearances and goals for the club.
It now remains to be seen if a renewal will soon be announced or if Real Madrid will swoop in at the last minute.
