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With Real Madrid and Florentino Perez reverting to their tried and tested Galacticos policy on the back of a disappointing season, rumours have been rife surrounding the Los Blancos' next big signing.
We're barely two weeks into June, and Madrid have already wrapped up some humongous transfers. Deals for Eder Militao and Rodrygo had already been completed before the summer transfer window. Apart from the Brazilian duo, Belgian superstar Eden Hazard and Frankfurt marksman Luka Jovic were soon announced, with both of them costing a mind-boggling €160 million combined. French fullback Ferland Mendy will also be arriving soon for an estimated fee of €48 million plus add-ons.
Zidane's bold, early moves in the transfer market have sent shock-waves through the rest of Europe. Barcelona, in particular, will be looking over their shoulder after an underwhelming season of their own.
PSG's Kylian Mbappe is the latest player to be linked with Madrid. The 20-year-old World Cup winner will easily command a world-record transfer fee, having already become the second most expensive player of all time when he left Monaco in 2017.
Mbappe has since become one of the best forwards in Europe, pushing Leo Messi to the very end in the race for the European Golden Shoe last season. He scored an incredible 33 goals in 29 Ligue 1 games, with 39 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions.
The move certainly makes sense for Mbappe personally. In spite of his consistently brilliant performances throughout the 18/19 campaign, Neymar continues to be the marquee figure in Paris. The 27-year-old Brazilian has been plagued by injury problems and made only 17 league appearances under Thomas Tuchel. Even so, Mbappe has not been trusted with penalty duties as long as Neymar is on the pitch. The Frenchman reportedly wants more responsibility, which PSG aren't ready to give.
The reason why Mbappe's transfer to Madrid isn't going to happen this season, and probably even in the next 3-4 years, is because of the club's recent transfer activities. In Hazard and Jovic, Perez has secured the services of Europe's most creative midfielder and lethal finisher respectively. While Mbappe's versatility enables him to play through the middle or on the wing, Madrid simply do not need a player like him right now.
In addition, Real also have the likes of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. Vinicius arrived in the Spanish capital last season after a deal had been struck back in 2017. After impressing for the reserves, the 18-year-old was handed a debut at the end of October last year. The flamboyant winger quickly became a fan favourite at the Bernabeu and was viewed as a rare positive point in a very bad season. Zidane will be hoping that Rodrygo will now be able to emulate his compatriot, and both teenagers will have Eden Hazard as the perfect mentor as well.
Gareth Bale's future remains uncertain, but the fact remains that the Welshman can be a lethal forward in his own right when he's fit. Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio will also probably feature regularly under Zidane. With such a rich array of attacking talent at their disposal and the right balance of youth and experience, Mbappe will almost certainly not be moving to Spain anytime soon.
Real's extensive expenditures in the market will also place an additional strain on them in terms of FFP regulations. A central midfielder will also probably be signed, and according to Spanish outlet AS, the club will need to raise over €300 million to balance the books and avoid coming under UEFA's radar.
In this situation, an additional (unnecessary) payment of over €250 million for a player the club does not need would be a very irresponsible move by Zidane and Perez.
