Real Madrid’s big plans for 2022 rest on mainly two players: Erling Haaland and, of course, Kylian Mbappe. There are multiple reports from multiple reporters about whether they’d be able to sign both the players in the next window itself, and the answer is always a lot more complex than you’d think.
Real Madrid obviously want to see both players wearing their famous white shirt next season, but it also has to be economically possible. That would mean a few sales, combined with a few expiring contracts, should make the club capable of affording both of them, although the problem doesn’t just lie there.
According to a report from Bernabeu Digital, Real Madrid want both players next season, but the only reason they’re moving so slowly for Erling Haaland is that they want to complete the signing of Mbappe first.
Real Madrid have a few things to do before they can make space to sign both Haaland and Mbappe
According to the report, the club realises that they’re in a very good position to sign Haaland, but their priority is still signing Mbappe, and that would definitely mean getting his deal done before moving on to the next piece of business.
And, to accommodate such huge contracts, they’d have to make some sales to open up the salary cap that would get their contracts onboard.
Obviously, they’d be losing Gareth Bale, Isco and Marcelo next season, all of whom have big contracts with the club at the moment. Then, selling fringe players like Mariano, Luka Jovic, and hopefully, letting go of Eden Hazard could make them capable of signing both superstars.
They can’t really wait for too long, however, since according to Goal, Haaland is expected to make his decision during the month of March, with his family and his agent Mino Raiola. Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke also confirmed that the whole thing would be resolved in four to six weeks.
Another reason why they’d be cautious with Haaland is that they know that there are other clubs that can offer him a better contract because of their financial superiority. So, signing Mbappe first would give them a safety net, in the sense that they’ve signed who they needed the most, and now can move on to Haaland and other players that are needed for this project to reach its full potential.
The fact that Haaland prefers a move to Real Madrid helps their case quite a bit, but it all depends on whether he’d accept a slightly lower wage so that he’s able to play at the club he wants the most. It also depends on how fast the club can wrap up the signing, since Haaland would be making his decision soon.