To think that the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga was put on pause on August 31 as the transfer window shut would be a big mistake. Not only is it ongoing, it is now at a very crucial period as the next few months could determine where the player chooses to play next season. With his contract ending in June, he’ll be free to speak to any club and sign a pre-contract starting in January. During that time, Real Madrid will be hoping that he signs with them but at the same time, Paris Saint-Germain will do everything in their power (and that’s a lot of power) to ensure that they get him to extend his contract with them before January even arrives.
With at least three contracts offered to him having been rejected – one of which would have made him the highest-paid player in the world – there is reason for optimism from Real Madrid fans.
Rejected Contracts
Money talks and that is something that we can all agree on. However, it sometimes does not talk loud enough. PSG can offer Mbappe money that Real Madrid simply cannot even get remotely close to. That’s part of the charm of playing for the Paris side – money, beautiful location, great players around you. There are good things that come with the package when you sign for PSG but Mbappe has already experienced it all during his time since signing with them and it’s time for him to continue his career path.
When the French forward signed with PSG, it was with the plan that he will continue his career in France and once his contract ends, he’ll hopefully make his dream move abroad and play for Real Madrid. According to reports, that was also part of the discussion when he was about to sign – “If Real Madrid come knocking with a fair offer, negotiate with them”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t done as Los Blancos came in with a very strong offer over the summer only to see the door shut in their face.
Prior to all this, Mbappe has rejected some extravagant proposals from PSG and all signs point towards them continuing to try convincing him while he continues to reject. It looks like he has made up his mind and nothing will deter him from that. He has seen how things go if the club is in charge of his destiny but in January, he’s in full control of his future and can sign for Real Madrid without any worries or problems.
Building a Legacy at Real Madrid
Joining Real Madrid at this time offers Mbappe something that not many players get a chance to do – create a legacy by being the leader of the team. The last player who joined Real Madrid when they needed change and were starting to build something for the future was Cristiano Ronaldo and now Mbappe has the chance to follow in his idol’s footsteps. He’s young but he has what it takes to move the club forward. Florentino Perez isn’t trying to sign him for the sake of buying a big name – he’s trying to sign him because he knows what the arrival of Mbappe signifies.
Mbappe is a future Ballon d’Or winner and at the moment, he’s the best player that Real Madrid can sign. There isn’t anyone ahead of him and Los Blancos have a chance to bring him to the club for “free”. Mbappe knew how badly the club wanted him and witnessed them materializing their interest by offering up to 200 million Euros during the summer for a player that they are convinced will want to sign for the club in January. What he can accomplish at Real Madrid is very different to what he can accomplish at PSG.
The French club want to win the UEFA Champions League and if they win it this year, he can be part of the first-ever PSG side to win the competition – but the plaudits will go elsewhere. They will focus on the signings made in the summer, on Lionel Messi winning it for PSG, on the money spent to win it. It won’t focus on Mbappe no matter how much he does or doesn’t do for them. It will be the same next year or the year after.
Bring Real Madrid back up to where they belong, create history at the Santiago Bernabeu, listen to the fans of the biggest club in the world chant your name. Winning one UEFA Champions League trophy with Real Madrid means more than winning two with PSG.
Domestic Success
Paris Saint-Germain play in Ligue 1, which has now found itself to be outside the top 5 European leagues by UEFA as it now sits in sixth place behind England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal. That just shows that, with no disrespect intended, the league isn’t that competitive.
Therefore, Mbappe, who is one of the top players in the world, is playing in a team that is almost guaranteed to win the league (it’s quite shocking that they didn’t last season) and the main competition will come from a few games in the Champions League. Even if they reach the final of the competition, this would mean that he plays in 13 games that ‘matter’ this season. Is that what he would want?
With Real Madrid, he has the competitive games of the Champions League in addition to La Liga where there is stiff competition and has gotten more competitive over the past few seasons. Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Barcelona are all teams that he will want to impress again and this is not to mention some of the others such as Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao. Historic teams that have made their names in Europe.
One extra bonus? Lining up to take on Barcelona in El Clasico – nothing can match that moment. Mbappe knows how big this game is and he’ll be relishing to take part in it.
Money to Facilitate the Project
This isn’t a comparison to the budgets any of the team have, but this summer made it clearer that Real Madrid have money to spend. They were willing to go up to 200 million Euros for Mbappe and since that money is now available for spending (minus 30 for Eduardo Camavinga and whatever will be paid if Mbappe signs with the club), Mbappe knows that Los Blancos are moving forward with purpose.
The player knows that he won’t be joining the club in hopes that he can make something out of this team (which in all fairness is quite good), but he knows that he’s the first piece of a very bright future. This is a future that Real Madrid have been building for quite some time.
Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Antonio Blanco, Miguel Gutierrez, Eder Militao and others have been now joined by Eduardo Camavinga, who possesses incredible amounts of talent, and they were able to bring him for a very small fee (considering his talent) of a little over 30 million Euros. If things go as planned, the next piece of this puzzle is Kylian Mbappe but it won’t stop there either.
Erling Haaland is the next biggest name on the transfer list for Real Madrid and they will be keeping their eyes open for any other names that they can bring in that would fit their team or their transfer policy which could very well include Paul Pogba from Manchester United who also has his contract ending next summer.
Real Madrid have money and that’s clear but they’ll need to spend it wisely while keeping in mind what their targets are for the upcoming summer. They will already have made their ‘wishlist’ and this isn’t even keeping in mind that certain players will be leaving the club in the summer as their contracts will end and Real Madrid won’t want to keep them due to the astronomically high wages. These players include Gareth Bale, Isco and Marcelo with others that could be sold.
The Karim Benzema Factor
Players act like agents a lot of the time and that’s what we are seeing first-hand when it comes to Mbappe and Benzema. Deschamps couldn’t find a better time to finally recall Karim Benzema to the France National Team as the player is now a very close friend and mentor to Mbappe. They speak about Real Madrid, it’s inevitable and Benzema recently said that he’s sure Mbappe will join the club at some point. Obviously, neither one of them will give out details to their private conversations but Agent Benzema is doing what he needs to do.
Life in Madrid, the perks of Real Madrid and the ups and downs of the club are all known too well by Benzema who has spent the past 12 years at this club ever since he was signed from Lyon in 2009. There is no better person to ask than Benzema when Mbappe has any questions and Benzema knows what his French teammate and friend will need to know about. They will definitely have a great connection at the club when Mbappe arrives and it will be a joy to watch for us all.
Next summer will have to be a big one at the club which means that from now until then, expect the non-stop rumors and movement happening as the club aims to have one of their biggest transfer windows in recent history. This doesn’t mean the quantity of players that could arrive but rather the quality that each player will bring.
There is a long year ahead so let’s hope it’s worth the wait.