Real Madrid's big question: how to fit Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé into the same team
Real Madrid will turn their to attention to the signing of Mbappé after their Champions League tie with PSG. Haaland is also on their list of possible summer signings.
Kylian Mbappé has been free to sign for any club since 1 January 2022. Real Madrid are the favourites to land the French forward, however the Champions League last 16 draw has put a hold on things. The March legs between Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain has shifted the focus slightly, with PSG ensuring Mbappé is focusing on them instead of having one eye on a summer move to the Santiago Bernabéu. With Mbappé, Madrid have much more confidence in landing a deal than with Haaland.
Champions League failure
Borussia Dortmund have been recently knocked out of the Champions League and last night also suffered a surprise defeat to St. Pauli in the German cup; another bitter one for Haaland to swallow. Players of his stature want to be competing at the top level, and now his season has come down to one single focus, winning the Bundesliga. These cup competition upsets come after Norway's failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Haaland's deal at Dortmund runs until 2024, but he has reached a verbal agreement with the club. This agreement means that from June 2022, the German outfit could accept offers for him at the right price.
Can Madrid fit Mbappé and Haaland into the same team?
This agreement between Dortmund and Haaland is what makes the transfer viable for Real Madrid against the likes of Manchester City and PSG in the bidding war. These sides have access to unlimited resources for new signings. The timeline, however, is not ideal for Los Blancos. With the emergence of Vinicius, the expected arrival of Mbappé and the excellent Karim Benzema leading the line, fitting the Norwegian into that attack would prove difficult, although a good problem to have for Carlo Ancelotti or the next Madrid boss.
Dortmund forcing Haaland to make move
Haaland himself has recently admitted that Dortmund are pushing him decide on his future as soon as possible. "Borussia Dortmund are pushing me to make a decision on a few things. That probably means I'll have to get things moving soon," Haaland admitted on Friday after scoring a brace against Freiburg.