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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo almost left Real Madrid this summer, and nearly completed a move to Manchester United, only for Kylian Mbappe's father to scupper the entire process, claims a report in British news outlet, The Sunday Times. Florentino Perez was reportedly open to selling Ronaldo due to the player's issues with tax problems in Spain, and had lined up Kylian Mbappe as his replacement, with a mammoth fee all but agreed, only for worries over the pressure on the youngster's shoulders to send the whole deal crashing to the ground.
Also Read: Why Manchester United shouldn't hope for a Cristiano Ronaldo swansong
In case you didn't know...
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe's futures were the subjects of incessant speculation in the recently concluded summer transfer window, despite the pair both having plenty of years left on their contracts. The Portuguese superstar had extended his contract in November 2016, with Real Madrid inserting a staggering €1 billion release clause in his contract, which was designed to keep him at the club until 2021. Kylian Mbappe, fresh from an eye-opening season, had a deal with AS Monaco that would keep him at the club until June 2019.
Also Read: 5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is still the best footballer in the world right now
The heart of the matter
Earlier in the summer, Cristiano Ronaldo had voiced his desire to return to England, telling a judge in a court hearing about his tax problems, "I never had these problems in England. That's why I want to go back there." His words sparked off rumours of a move back to Manchester United, with Florentino Perez working behind the scenes to line up a replacement.
The report claims that Real Madrid had agreed personal terms with Kylian Mbappe and were willing to meet AS Monaco's fee of €180 million, as they were likely to recoup a major portion of that amount from Manchester United and by getting Ronaldo's €20 million+ salary off the books. However, once Mbappe's father, Wilfried, was made aware of the fact that Kylian would arrive as Ronaldo's replacement, he advised his son to call off the deal, as the pressure would be astronomical.
Real Madrid scrambled by offering Gareth Bale to Manchester United so that they could seal a move for Mbappe, but the Welshman rejected the idea of a move away from Los Blancos. This left the door open for Paris St-Germain to swoop in and prise Mbappe away on a loan deal with an obligation to buy the Frenchman outright next season, while Ronaldo stayed with Madrid.
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Author's Take
Transfers are inherently complicated processes and the domino effect of Mbappe's entourage pulling the plug on the Madrid deal will be felt by three giants of European football for years to come. As it stands, PSG are undoubtedly the winners from this entire scenario, although Real Madrid having the best player in the world right now still on their books is hardly what one would describe as small compensation.
