Vinicius the key to unlock Mbappé's Real Madrid move
Leonardo, the sporting director at PSG is convinced that the young Brazilian is a future superstar in the making, and wants him in the deal.
Kylian Mbappé is the Real Madrid's galáctico objective for the summer of 2020. There is no Plan B, although there are complementary elements, but the focus for Zinedine Zidane and the Spanish club is clear. The one obstacle in making the dream come true, namely the selling club PSG, has so far been insurmountable. But this may have changed.
Vincius a PSG desire
The key to the movement in this potential transfer lies with one of Los Blancos' own young stars, Vinicius Jr. The Parisien club's sporting director, Leonardo has no doubts about the future of his compatriot being one of the best in world football and is keen to have him in the French capital. The truth is that this in itself is hardly news, with the Brazilian director expressing his interest last summer, when Madrid were sniffing around wantaway Neymar. At that time, PSG stated that Vinicius had to be on the table as well as any financial package, and this was point blank refused by the LaLiga club. Although signing the former Barça star was always remote, the thought of losing their younger samba boy in the process was out of the question. Madrid withdrew.
Since then, however, the situation surrounding Vinicius has changed dramatically. The board continues to see him as a star for Madrid going forward, but Zidane is less convinced. The coach has never been captured in the same way as some others by the 19-year old despite him being one of the few shining lights in an otherwise disaster of a 2018/19 campaign, and his actions have shown this. Vinicius has only played 448 minutes of the new season, just 26.2% of the total, and has not featured at all in the last three games.
French connection, Brazil bond
While Vinicius fails to receive the affection from his boss, Zidane didn't hesitate to publicly announce that he has long been "in love" with Mbappé, as a player, and as a man. Connecting the compatriots may be a solution that works out for all parties concerned, although PSG have already shown their reluctance to give up on a national hero.
Leonardo appears to have the 'love' for Vinicius and in conversations with Madrid will have him in integral part of any Mbappé deal. This is key to at least get the negotiations started. There is, of course, another important factor that, as time ticks on, becomes more and more telling. While the Ligue 1 champions are trying to tie their French forward down to a lucrative new contract, so far they are being rebuffed. If Mbappé maintains this course, with a current expiry of 2022, there may be more of an acceptance in Paris that a perceived 'bad' deal is better than a no deal.
In Madrid HQ they are very aware of the various elements to the potential transfer and know that, just as with Eden Hazard and Chelsea, they need to play their cards carefully. At 20 years of age, Mbappé offers a chance to be prudent. But with PSG's eyes fixed on Vinicius and Mbappé's refusal to renew - and his dream to play in the white shirt - this impossible move may quickly become far more palatable...