Kylian Mbappé is Real Madrid’s priority, but on a free transfer in 2024

Los Blancos have the upper hand and will wait until his contract ends in 2024; they prefer him over Haaland.

Round and round we go with Kylian Mbappé. As soon as the disappointing elimination of the Parisians in the Champions League Round of 16 was confirmed in Munich, Mbappé caught us all out when he said: “Now all I’m worried about is Ligue 1, we want to win it. I don’t think about the next season. I’m quiet. My goal is to win Ligue 1 and then we’ll see…”.

That ending, leaving everything up in the air, has been received with skepticism in the corridors of PSG and with some indifference in those of the Bernabéu, given that there have been numerous statements by Mbappé that sounded like winks to that club that he always said he loved. Obviously, it has been interpreted as an acknowledgment that if it were up to him, his career at PSG would soon be over which in six seasons has denied him the Champions League, a competition that remains elusive to him, while ‘his’ beloved Real Madrid continue to win it again and again.

Real Madrid have the advantage

But now it is Real Madrid that have the upper hand; Mbappé is no longer an immediate target. Of course, if he gets within range, Florentino will try his best to sign him (as he did two summers ago). That time, Pérez put €180 million on Al Khelaïfi’s table in case he accepted a transfer fee before the player was able to negotiate without consequences as of January 1, 2022.

But Mbappé held out until May, raising expectations of his imminent future in Spain, all before giving a “no” to Florentino after giving in to pressure from Macron, the Emir of Qatar and his own family. He stopped responding to Florentino’s messages and only returned the call after all was said and done to apologise for his refusal to accept the offer that Madrid had put on the table. That is why this summer Madrid will not try to sign him, knowing perfectly well that it would cost a fortune.

Mbappé over Haaland

The important thing is that Mbappé, although he renewed with PSG until 2025, left in a clause to be able to leave his golden cage as a free agent in 2024. That means he could well leave on that date without PSG being able to negotiate a transfer fee. It seems that the only thing Madrid would accept now is him coming on a free. If in 2024 he comes totally liberated and publicly acknowledges that he did not behave well with Madrid and his fans, the doors of the new Bernabéu would open for the Parisian. No grudges, but without forgetting what he did.

Mbappé is helped by the fact that the club likes him more than the second option, Haaland, who they see as a great goalscorer, but without the charm as a player or the charisma that Kylian holds. Therefore, if Mbappé pays off his contractual obligations with PSG and shows up one day in Madrid with the desire to start a new career at the club of his childhood dreams, Madrid will sign him knowing that they are getting a star who can take on the leading role in world football in the coming years. Kylian, it’s in your hands.