Real Madrid set to use Eden Hazard strategy with Kylian Mbappé
According to SER, Madrid will offer €120m, in the hope that PSG will accept so as not to let him leave for free in a year's time.
Real Madrid are plotting how to approach the signing of 22-year-old Kylian Mbappé this summer, now that Lionel Messi's arrival at PSG is a reality and all eyes are on the French club. The whole of Europe is wondering how they will be able to take on his wage bill without violating Ligue 1 and UEFA rules. The signing of the Argentine by PSG is the incentive Madrid were hoping for to get the Mbappé deal over the line, believing that the French side will consider transferring the forward to balance their books. Publicly, PSG are maintaining a strong stance, but Madrid are not giving up and will make an attempt.
Madrid to offer €120 million
As reported by Cadena SER, Real Madrid's idea is to make a single offer of €120 million in the hope that PSG will look favourably on it or, at least, come up with an alternative figure with which to start negotiations. The amount may sound low, in view of what has been paid in recent weeks; City, for example, have just paid €117 million for Jack Grealish. But Madrid are relying on a formula that has worked for them in the past. Mbappé only has one year left on his contract and, if PSG do not accept, next summer he can arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu for free.
Mbappé's contract with PSG expires in June 2022 and he has repeatedly turned down offers to extend it, despite the fact that they would raise it considerably, from around €20 million net at the moment to a figure close to €35 million net. On his return from holiday, he reiterated to the club's management his intention not to renew and to honour his contract if that was what PSG wanted. With only one year left on his contract, Madrid are hoping PSG will come out of their standoffishness and consider selling him now rather than letting him go for free in less than a year.
Hazard, Courtois and Kroos deals
A tactic that Real Madrid have repeated on several occasions: wait until the last year of the player's contract and then make a generous offer to the club that owns the player. The latest and most obvious example is Eden Hazard, for whom Madrid paid €100 million in the summer of 2019. The same happened with Thibaut Courtois in 2018 and Toni Kroos in 2014.
According to SER, Madrid's idea is to offer €120 million and, if PSG are not interested, to withdraw the offer with the possibility of Mbappé arriving on a free in 2022. Although the truth is that the latest signals from Paris do not exactly invite optimism.
At Messi's presentation, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi sent a direct message to Mbappé: "He is our player, we know his future, he has already said that he does not want to leave PSG, he will stay. He said he wanted to have a competitive team and he can't make a more competitive team than this one now. He has no excuse to do anything other than stay, he is a Parisian and he will stay." Al-Khelaïfi pointed to the player's clear intention to stay in Paris, which is not the case; Mbappé has refused to renew but said that he would honour his contract.
In an interview with French outlet Le Parisien, Al-Khelaïfi added: "I have told him, that he no longer has an excuse not to stay. He is happy with the arrival of Messi, some media are looking for problems when there are none". The PSG president was referring to reports that Mbappé would not have welcomed the Argentine's arrival in Paris. It is true that in 2019 he publicly asked for more responsibility and a project that revolved around him, but since then PSG have renewed Neymar's deal and signed Messi, moving in the opposite direction to that requested by the Frenchman.
Mbappé welcomes Messi
El Chiringuito's social media department carried out a report on Wednesday night in which they analysed the online reaction of PSG players to the club's posts regarding Messi's arrival. Neymar had given "likes" to 14, Ramos to another 14, Di María to 10 and Mbappé... to none. Yesterday, at last, he got in on the act by celebrating Messi's signing: "Welcome to Paris, Leo," he wrote alongside four photos of his first meeting with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Mbappé's anger at the signing of Messi, which takes away his share of the limelight and hierarchy in the PSG dressing room. The Italian outlet also revealed that the Frenchman's plan is to speak on Monday to reveal his intentions for the future. The young forward could give a clue as to what he expects from this transfer window, which closes on 31 August in both France and Spain.