James Holland
Prem clubs remain in the mix for France star Kylian Mbappe
Premier League clubs Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are still in the race for Kylian Mbappe, with a report providing a worrying update on Real Madrid’s pursuit of the France captain.
Mbappe has flirted with the idea of joining Madrid in several transfer windows. He loves the idea of emulating his idol Cristiano Ronaldo by starring for the Spanish giants, while he also knows that such a move would give him the best chance of winning major silverware such as the Champions League and Ballon d’Or.
So far, the forward’s love for Paris Saint-Germain has kept him in France, though that could be about to change this summer.
Mbappe’s contract at the Parc des Princes expires at the end of the season and no renewal is in sight. PSG hate the idea of losing arguably the world’s best player on a free transfer but are pretty much powerless at this point.
Madrid have begun negotiations with Mbappe and his entourage as they look to finally sign the 25-year-old after several failed attempts in the past. La Liga president Javier Tebas recently admitted there is a 55-60 per cent chance Mbappe will be playing for Los Blancos next term.
Although, the transfer is not guaranteed to go through. According to a big update from Spanish newspaper Marca, Madrid have come up against a brick wall in the form of the player’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari.
It is claimed that she is not backing down on her demands to make Mbappe one of the best-paid players in the world when he moves to Spain. Mbappe himself is supposedly happy with what Madrid are offering, though Lamari is not willing to accept such terms.
Madrid can still be considered the frontrunners to land the World Cup winner, but if they are forced to give up their chase, it is likely he will move to the Premier League.
Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal to pounce if Real Madrid fail
In England, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are the main clubs to have been linked with Mbappe.
Man Utd previously would not have been able to match Mbappe and his mother’s colossal wage demands, but that has changed following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at Old Trafford.
Man Utd are now expected to have a huge summer and landing Mbappe would be the ultimate signal of intent from Ratcliffe.
In recent years Liverpool have been named as Mbappe’s most likely destination in the Prem, as both the player and Lamari like the Reds. However, on Friday it emerged that Jurgen Klopp’s impending exit has put Mbappe off moving to Anfield, as it is unclear whether Liverpool will be able to continue the huge success they had under the German.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have attracted Mbappe’s attention with their impressive rise under Mikel Arteta. It has previously been reported that Mbappe would like the challenge of helping the Gunners win the Prem title once again. The only trouble is that Arsenal may struggle to offer him a big enough contract.
Chelsea, in contrast, have the money to sign Mbappe but are lagging way behind the top six, which would put him off going to Stamford Bridge.
