Account
Kylian Mbappe Says He Spoke to Real Madrid Before PSG Transfer
December 27, 2017
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has said he spoke to Real Madrid before agreeing to move to Unai Emery's side last August.
The teenager joined PSG from Monaco on a season-long loan, but the club have an option to sign him permanently in a deal worth €180 million, according to the Guardian's Ed Aarons.
Mbappe said he did also talk to Madrid and explained why he opted to move to PSG instead, per Marca's Pablo Polo:
"[I turned down Real Madrid] because PSG is the team of my city. [Joining Real Madrid] would have been like a Real Madrid-supporting kid from Madrid having the chance to play for his team and deciding to go somewhere else, to another country.
"I wanted to play for PSG and I am very happy right now about how things are going. There were a lot of rumours about the transfers and it's true that we spoke, but I think that's now in the past for me and for Real Madrid. I now play for PSG and I will defend these colours 100 percent."
Real Madrid have endured a disappointing start to the defence of their La Liga crown as they are 14 points behind leaders Barcelona, although they have played a game less.
One of their main failings this season has been in attack where both Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have failed to consistently find their best form, while Gareth Bale's season has been disrupted by injury.
The Sportsman highlighted Benzema and Bale's lack of goals at home in 2017:
Opta showed how the France international is failing to live up to expectations this season:
In contrast, Mbappe has enjoyed a superb start to life in Ligue 1 and has 12 goals and 11 assists already this season for PSG.
FIFA also showed how impressive he has been in this calendar year:
Real Madrid have also enjoyed a memorable 2017, winning the FIFA Club World Cup in December to ensure they finish the year with five trophies.
The club's Twitter account showed just how successful they have been under coach Zinedine Zidane:
However, having fallen 14 points behind Barcelona, the club look unlikely to retain their league title.
Their 3-0 Clasico defeat to their rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend also highlighted the need to overhaul their squad.
A new striker looks to be a priority, with Benzema far below his best, and Madrid may regret not bringing in Mbappe last summer, particularly with the two clubs set to face each other in the last 16 of the Champions League.