What’s the story?
Real Madrid are going all out in their pursuit of AS Monaco’s teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, having established the Frenchman as their number 1 target for the upcoming transfer window. According to a report in French daily L’Equipe, Zinedine Zidane personally spoke with the 18-year-old to convince him to join the Santiago Bernabeu outfit while also assuring him that one of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo will be allowed to leave to ensure that Mbappe is afforded sufficient playing time.
However, according to English daily Metro, it is Bale, whose departure from the Spanish giants is most likely. Manchester United have held a long-standing interest in the Welshman ever since he snubbed Old Trafford to move to Madrid in 2013. The Red Devils finally have the opportunity to sign the former Tottenham Hotspur man with Los Blancos open to the possibility of letting him leave but the Manchester outfit will have to shell out close to £100m for his services.
In case you didn’t know…
Kylian Mbappe has established himself as Europe’s most coveted footballer in the span of the last 9 months, having helped AS Monaco reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, while also helping the Stade Louis II outfit bring an end to the monopoly of Paris Saint-Germain by winning Ligue 1.
The 18-year-old scored 26 goals for the newly crowned French champions while assisting another 14 during his breakthrough season with the club and has been courting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Real Madrid, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. It has been reported that Monaco have already rejected world-record bids for the services of Mbappe.
The heart of the matter
The 18-year-old is the hottest property in all of Europe and as such his future is the subject of much speculation. It is believed that Mbappe met with AS Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev sometime last week, where a decision was taken on the future of the youngster.
Bale, on the other hand, endured a nightmare of a season at Real Madrid, which was marred by injuries and saw him return his worst goal tally since moving to Spain. Madrid are expected to be open to the idea of letting the Welshman join Manchester United but only if the Premier League outfit match their asking price.
Also Read: Reports: Chelsea set to make sensational superstar plus cash bid for Cristiano Ronaldo
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Author's Take
Kylian Mbappe’s transfer saga is set to be the biggest witnessed in the history of football. The Frenchman might opt to stay at Monaco, or move to one of Real Madrid or Arsenal. However, by allowing the potential departure of Bale, Madrid have got rid of what could have been a major stumbling block in their pursuit of the 18-year-old and therefore edge closer to his signature.
