It seems that one of the worst kept secrets in football is Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid next summer.
The French hit-man has seen many other big names depart Paris Saint-Germain over the past few months, with the World Cup winner arguably the only superstar now left at the Ligue Un outfit.
He too is likely to be on his way out of the French capital of various and persistent rumours are to be believed, however, a recent interview with Real Madrid board member, José Manuel Otero, has see him take a more cautious tone with regards to Mbappe’s hire.
“We hope that Mbappe thought the same as Bellingham. I trust that he will come,” he said on the Remontada Blanca Twitch channel (h/t AS).
“[…] Madrid guarantees security, a seriousness that gives results. I trust he will say yes when he is a free agent.”
It would be a huge surprise if Mbappe wasn’t at the Spanish giants from the 2024/25 campaign, though Otero’s talks of ‘hope’ and ‘trust’ don’t sound too convincing.
The issue, if indeed there is one, is likely to be around money.
There’s no doubt that if Mbappe had left for Real Madrid when such a deal was last mooted, he’d be a Champions League winner by now.
On the last occasion he took the money on offer from PSG, and given that the French side are likely to have deeper pockets than their Spanish counterparts, Nasser Al-Khelaifi will want to retain some hope of his own that the financial package the club can offer is enough to tempt his star man to stay put.