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What’s the story?
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has had his say on which player he wants the club to sign between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
In case you didn’t know…
Perez has been under pressure in recent months following Real Madrid’s poor start to the season. The Blancos risk going trophy-less for the first time since 2015, having been eliminated from the Champions League and Copa del Rey; and also fallen off the pace in the La Liga title race.
However, the Madrid president is back in favour after engineering the reappointment of Zinedine Zidane as manager. The Spanish giants unveiled the 46-year-old on Monday, bringing an end to Santiago Solari’s short spell in charge of the Madrid first team.
Zidane won a lot during his first spell with the Blancos, including the La Liga and three successive Champions League titles. Perez believes the return of the Frenchman could spark a resurgence at the Bernabeu.
The heart of the matter
Speaking at the unveiling of Zidane, Perez touched on possible summer signings, including Neymar and Mbappe. Asked who he would prefer between the two Pars Saint-Germain stars, Perez responded that he would choose “both”.
He also joked that Zidane’s nationality could come in handy, especially in the pursuit of Mbappe, who is also French.
Perez said, as quoted by Goal:
"Zidane’s French so maybe he could do something with Mbappe.
“Right now, all we are concerned with is ending the season well and start preparing for next season.”
Both Neymar and Mbappe are reportedly summer targets of Real Madrid, with the Blancos still searching for a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Juventus last summer.
What’s next?
Real Madrid will not be in action till the weekend when they welcome Celta Vigo, in what will be Zidane’s first game in charge since his reappointment.
