Real Madrid are protecting their stars from their newest rivals, PSG

You can already see it in the way the opposing fanbases interact with each other. Real Madrid and PSG have gone from having a cordial relationship between powerhouse clubs to being rivals. There is a quiet animosity bubbling after the way the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga played out, with PSG essentially ignoring Mbappe’s clear request to leave and Real’s outlandish offers to pry him away from the odious sportswashing enterprise that has stained Paris’ proud club.

Mbappe could leave for free in the summer 2022 transfer window, and if a player of his magnitude does indeed join Madrid on a free, then Madridistas are prepared for a revenge plot from PSG. On top of this, Eduardo Camavinga reportedly requested Rennes transfer him to Real Madrid over PSG for less money, so there is an additional reason for the Emir to have Los Blancos atop his you-know-what list. Camavinga’s Madrid salary will also be reportedly lower.

PSG have shown interest in several Real Madrid players on the transfer market in the past, as the likes of Casemiro, Fee Valverde, and Thibaut Courtois were mentioned in Kylian Mbappe swap deal rumors over the past year. Now, all three players have signed extensions this summer, with Fede’s deal containing an eye-watering one billion euro release clause. Real have also upped the release clauses of prospects Miguel Gutierrez and Sergio Arribas, with plans to do the same for Marvin Park and Antonio Blanco.

Real Madrid are thus on the defensive, anticipating future attacks on their players from PSG. We know PSG wield more money than just about any other club, and they are even more willing to spend their money than fellow sportswashers Manchester City. Look, nobody will be sparing any solace for Los Blancos, as they are also a powerful, rich club. But PSG, especially with UEFA and FIFA fully under their grasp, represent a new level of financial and economic power. One that threatens every club besides City and Chelsea.

Real Madrid cannot take any risks due to PSG unpredictability

Therefore, it is imperative that Los Blancos act a little paranoid and take any possible threat seriously. As PSG showed this summer, they are unpredictable. They spent nearly 200 million euros on players, signing future and present stars like Gini Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, and Nuno Mendes in one window. And they were still able to reject an offer of around – or even exceeding – 200 million euros for Mbappe despite the player having one year on his deal and wanting out.

Florentino Perez is taking no chances. Everyone who is important to the club in the next five years must stay on long-term, high-release-clause deals that ensure the future is secured. And for their part, these players want to stay in Madrid. Like Camavinga, who took less to join Real, they are attracted to the prestige of the club. Money may be everything to players looking to secure a final paycheck, but to the ambitious stars of the future, it is nothing more than an additional zero after a currency sign.

As the calendar flips to 2022, watch closely to see how PSG and Real Madrid interact with each other and through media intermediaries. Especially with the European Super League vs. UEFA drama with Nasser Al-Khelaifi in charge of the ECA, this budding rivalry between PSG and Real could get quite messy off the pitch. That’s not even mentioning more head-to-head transfer battles that could arise in 2022 for players like Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland. And you know when it comes to business, Perez does not like to lose. Not even to an entity even richer and more merciless than he is.