Real Madrid Reportedly Want Kylian Mbappe, Rodrigo to Replace Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid are reportedly adamant to sign a Cristiano Ronaldo replacement this summer and will turn to Kylian Mbappe or Rodrigo after concluding that the Premier League clubs won't sell their prized assets.

The Independent's Miguel Delaney wrote Real now feel it's "almost impossible" to buy from the Premier League, which saw its transfer window shut on August 9. That's said to have left Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe and Valencia's Rodrigo as their two top targets.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard are all mentioned as targets linked with Los Blancos this summer but are now all but guaranteed to finish their seasons in England.

Mbappe hasn't long been back from his holidays after the 2018 FIFA World Cup but is already back to his usual goalscoring exploits in Ligue 1, via Goal:

BT Sport provided further highlights from the 19-year-old's first league outing of the season, which included a game-winning brace in a 3-1 victory over Guingamp (UK only):

An exit is difficult to envision in the case of Mbappe, who is soon to solidify a £166 million permanent move to the Parc des Princes—on August 27—after spending last season on loan in Paris.

One major issue for Real is that they're said to be looking to spend about £120 million, which is significantly less than what PSG agreed to pay AS Monaco for their forward.

However, Onda Cero (h/t Eurosport) reported UEFA are investigating PSG for a potential breach of Financial Fair Play, which could see them forced to sell Mbappe or blocked from completing his signature at all.

Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre recently praised the World Cup winner as one of his dream signings, per Goal's Ronan Murphy:

Rodrigo looks the far more likely acquisition of those two considering Valencia would probably be more grateful for the funds at this stage.

The nine-times capped Spain international is respected in La Liga and started his new campaign with a point-scraping strike against Atletico Madrid in Los Che's first outing:

There are conflicting reports, however, as El Chiringuito (h/t Sport's Alejandro Alcazar) said Real have gone off Rodrigo's scent after deeming him too expensive and are instead chasing Celta Vigo attacker Iago Aspas.

Investing in players known as La Liga successes is smart if Los Merengues are focused on winning back the league, although those recruits may not help them keep hold of their grip on the UEFA Champions League.