Real Madrid have raised 200 million euros to sign Mbappe... or Haaland

Real Madrid have been notoriously restrained in the transfer market for years, and it's easy to forget that the purchase of Eden Hazard was actually a relative outlier, however the club has continued to raise money very cleverly, and intend to use the 200 million euros to sign either Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland.

COVID-19 first began to impact football in February of 2020, and in the three transfer windows since then, Los Merengues hasn't bought a single player, merely focusing on recouping money through sales.

Furthermore, the decision to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave beforehand allowed the Spanish giants to cut their highest earner, before his presence became an issue, something which Barcelona have been counting the cost of.

Martin Odegaard's imminent move to Arsenal will be the latest in a long line of smart sales, and the 40-million-euro fee will take the money earned to the 200 million mark.

This amount, in theory, should be enough to sign a superstar before the end of the transfer window, and that superstar will be either Mbappe or Haaland.

Such a kitty has been nicely bolstered by the 45 million departure of Achraf Hakimi, the 30 million sale of Sergio Reguilon and Raphael Varane's 50-million-euro move to Manchester United.

Florentino Perez and the technical department in Madrid have long had a plan to rejuvenate their forward line, and whilst it required heavy sales, the cards are now seemingly falling into place.

A deal for Haaland will only happen when PSG make their final stance clear on Mbappe, with such a development not expected until the last week of the window.

Should Mbappe not be sold, Real Madrid will likely instantly make their move for the Norwegian forward, although that would leave Borussia Dortmund way short in attack, and they are known not to sell at a disadvantageous point.

Ironically, the best outcome for Los Blancos may well come in a negative phone-call from Nasser Al-Khelaifi, meaning they can pursue Haaland this summer, and with the salary saved on Varane and Sergio Ramos, Mbappe could be a very attainable Bosman signing in June of 2022, setting the Spanish giants up in attack for the best part of the next decade. An modern version of the Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema partnership doesn't sound too bad.