Mbappe and the promise:
The Mbappe saga continues, or to put it simply: it has just started and will not be concluded so easily. Last night it was finally made clear that Real Madrid would try to bring him in Madrid without waiting if possible. But in the mix, there is also a promise that the Parisian club has made to Kylian Mbappe over Real Madrid negotiations.
Real Madrid have made clear their intention to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, as a 160 million euro bid for the Paris Saint-Germain forward was tabled on Tuesday. This comes after the Frenchman's consistent refusals to commit his future to PSG beyond the expiration of his contract next summer. By now, there is one thing that is getting more and more confirmation: Mbappe will become a Real Madrid player either by the end of this transfer window or next summer. The 22-year-old Frenchman will probably be able to sign a pre-contract agreement starting from January 2022.
In Mbappe's latest meeting with the PSG club hierarchy, he reminded them of the promise they made when he arrived at the club in the summer of 2017: should Los Blancos come calling at any point in the future, they would negotiate his departure from the club. That situation has now become reality, and both PSG sporting director Leonardo and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi know that they cannot turn their back on such a generous deal, and one that suits their interests.
The French media have also changed their tune on their perception of the likelihood of this move, as they now see it to as highly probable that negotiations will get underway, having previously believed it to be out of the question this summer, Whatever happens over the course of the next week, Mbappe has established himself as the new idol at Real Madrid before he has even completed his dream move to the club.
Florentino Perez’s toughest challenge:
Since Florentino Perez became Real Madrid president for the first time in 2000, he has proved time and time again that he is a man capable of just about anything. However, the signing of the Frenchman is the president's most daunting challenge yet, given that since PSG's takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, they have consistently refused to enter into dialogue over the sale of key players. Nevertheless, Perez will feel emboldened by the ability that he has shown in the past to complete the signings of world-class players against all-odds.
He counts so many great players on his list. Perez was able to bring all of them despite the circumstances. Just think about Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Owen, the signing of the superstars CR7, Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaka (among the others) in one summer, Modric, Bale and finally Hazard. Everyone can think that bringing Mbappe will not be impossible, despite being very complicated!
Leonardo’s words:
On the other hand, Leonardo, who is the sporting director of Paris Saint Germain, is trying to make the presence of the Parisian club bigger and to take some things under control. He has always claimed that Real Madrid has been unfair in this situation because the Spanish club has dared to contact the player and his family to set the terms without any permission.
Leonardo has confirmed that the club will not stand in Kylian Mbappe's way if he wants to depart the club, but any bid from Real Madrid for the 22-year-old has to match the Parisians' valuation. Speaking with a group of five media outlets, including MARCA as the only Spanish representative in addition to L'Equipe, Le Parisien, AFP and RMC, Leonardo discussed PSG's position on the Mbappe saga.
He said: "We do not consider the bid to be enough. I am not going to confirm figures, but it is around 160 million [euros]. It is less than what we paid for him [180m euros plus add-ons], but it's more than that. It's the way it's been done, [it has been] disrespectful. We have done everything for Mbappe to stay with us and with a week to go we are not going to change the plan. Kylian is the centre of the project, but he is not above it. But if he stays or goes, it will always be on our terms. If he wants to leave he will leave, but on our terms like any other player. We can't change the plan a week before the market closes. If a player wants to go he will go, but on our terms”.
In terms of PSG's position when it comes to Mbappe, Leonardo is clear that they want him to stay: "PSG's position has always been to keep Kylian, to renew him. Always, for the last two years, the objective has always been and remains the same. We made him a very big offer two months ago at the level of the top players, another even less than the last top players, but for me this seems to me to be a strategy of Real Madrid, to have one of our players. For two years now, Madrid has been behaving in a way that is not correct, illegal, contacting his entourage... [it's] unacceptable, not correct at all towards us.
“Real Madrid have been disrespectful, incorrect, ILLEGAL and unacceptable. We’re NOT accepting €160m. If he wants to go, it will be for OUR final conditions. We have NO plan to talk with Real Madrid again. Will Real Madrid raise the offer? I don't know. I only know what I said in relation to Madrid's attitude. They have been working on Mbappé for two years, talking to everyone, the family…”
He continued: "And the proof of that strategy is to present an offer seven days before the end of the transfer window and one year before the end of his contract and it seems to be a strategy to give the impression that they have tried everything. We are not considering the fee, which is far below what we expected, and we are not going to sell a player for less than what we paid for him at the age of 18. We have to give an outstanding sum to Monaco and the offer is not enough for us".
Leonardo has emphasised that PSG have turned down Real Madrid's bid as they do not consider it to be sufficient, which he confirmed again a little later in the interview. He added: "Verbally we have said no to Madrid. And we have not received another offer from Madrid. We have never wanted him to leave, nor have we imagined it, and we have made a very big offer and a second even better one for him to renew. The player also gave his word that he would not leave PSG on a free transfer, but the strategy seems to have been that he will leave on a free transfer. We have seen many reports that they had no money, that there were debts at Madrid... I can't confirm it, but that's what has been said".
The Brazilian was very critical of the way in which Real Madrid have supposedly tried to use the press as a mechanism for signing Mbappe. He stated: "To everyone: if someone wants to leave, no one is going to destroy our dream. The club is going to protect itself, that's what I do. We don't negotiate through the press. If Madrid use the press to negotiate, that is not the case for us. I don't know what Madrid think, but they know that we have to pay Monaco [there is talk of 35 million euros].
"There has been an overall strategy for two years to get to this point and make an offer a week before the end of the transfer window that they know we are not going to accept and say, well, 'we have tried and they didn't want to' and we will have the right to sign him on a free. Kylian has always made it clear that he will not leave on a free."
"I have always said that he will not leave for free. We have spoken a lot with Mbappe, with him, with his parents, with his entourage... we have come a long way with him. I know people say I want to sell, but Nasser [Al-Khelaifi, PSG's president] and I have the same opinion, we are not divided. If someone wants to leave we are not going to say no, but he will do it on our terms. We will see what happens."
There have been reports that there was a promise between Mbappe and PSG that the club would negotiate with Real Madrid if they came in with an offer, but Leonardo refutes this by saying: "How can we do that, a promise like that? What does that mean?" The Spanish press know more than everyone, more than me. Madrid have used it and they have talked about Kylian shamelessly, it's very disrespectful and illegal”.
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