Manchester United chief reacts to young fan asking him to sign Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe

INEOS' director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford seems to have wrecked any minuscule glimmer of hope among Manchester United fans of signing Kylian Mbappe by claiming that they had already lost out to Real Madrid.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS took over a minority stake in Manchester United earlier this year. Sir Brailsford now oversees the sporting operations at the club.

A video posted by Mail Sport on X (Twitter) shows a couple of young fans posing for a picture with Sir Brailsford before asking him:

"Can you buy Mbappe?"

To this, he replied:

"I think he has got his heart set on going to Real Madrid, hasn't he?"

Mbappe, who is one of the premier forwards in world football, recently told PSG that he will not sign a contract extension at the club. He is expected to leave on a free transfer in the summer, with the destination likely to be the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, recent reports have suggested that Arsenal and Liverpool could also be potential destinations for the Frenchman. According to one such report, he could take his talents to the Emirates to follow in the footsteps of fellow French icon Thierry Henry.

The best-placed club to secure Mbappe's services, out of all the suitors, would be Real Madrid. Los Blancos have been plotting a move for the forward for almost four years, and could even offer him a mammoth signing bonus in the range of £103 million to £111 million if they complete his signing.

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Manchester United turn their interest towards another French forward highly rated by Harry Kane

Manchester United seem to have pivoted their interest from Kylian Mbappe to another French forward in Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel, and are 'highly interested' in bringing him to Old Trafford, per Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg.

The 18-year-old moved from Stade Rennais to Bayern Munich for £24.4 million in the summer of 2022. Since then, he has mostly been deployed off the bench but has always delivered crucial goals for the Bavarians.

Although only four of his 27 appearances this season have been starts, he has contributed six goals and three assists to the club, averaging a goal contribution every 81 minutes.

He even scored Bayern's fourth against Manchester United back in September 2023, helping them to a 4-3 win. Harry Kane spoke highly of the young forward in the pre-match press conference for that game, saying (via ManchesterWorld):

"He’s started the season really well. I like the way he trains. He’s always pushing himself and is fully committed. Every time he came in he made a difference and is very confident."

United are said to be one of three English sides interested in Tel's services. With him getting limited game time at the Allianz Arena and manager Thomas Tuchel claiming he has "lost momentum," a move to Old Trafford in the summer could be on the cards.