It's now Mbappé or nothing for Perez
Florentino Perez has insisted on no more signings this summer, unless UEFA's decision on PSG on Monday opens up the door to bring in Mbappé. If not, Neymar will be the prime target in 2019.
Real Madrid's stance this summer has been that it would only make a move for a marquee signing to replace Cristiano Ronaldo if the right opportunity came along. And that opportunity could present itself on Monday if PSG are severely punished by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, forcing them to let go of Kylian Mbappé.
Without the risk of angering PSG owner Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and with the English and Italian transfer markets now closed, Florentino Perez would be willing to take advantage of the situation to snap up the young French star. But at this point for Perez, it will be Mbappé or nothing this summer.
Perez had already approached PSG this summer about Neymar but the Parisian club rejected any advances, while the player himself committed his future to the Parisian club, at least in the short-term. And AS has learned that the Brazilian talisman will be target number one for Madrid next summer, unless, of course, UEFA’s decision on PSG, which is delayed now until Monday, opens the door to bring in Mbappé.
LaLiga and Madrid not optimistic
UEFA could sanction PSG on the understanding that it has unsustainable income streams (for example via sponsorship deals with Qatar Tourism, as pointed out by LaLiga boss Javier Tebas) but neither Real Madrid nor LaLiga are optimistic about that outcome.
To date, the only major sanction to a top-tier club was handed to AC Milan two months ago, which banned the club from participation in the Europa League, but that decision was overturned shortly after by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following an appeal. In 2014, PSG and Manchester were handed large fines for breaching FFP rules, but both clubs avoided severe punishment.
