Real Madrid make 160 million offer for PSG forward Kylian Mbappe

Spanish giants Real Madrid have taken the first official steps towards landing one of their most important targets in recent years, making an initial €160 million bid for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe. 

According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, PSG have not accepted the offer yet. However, Mbappe has rejected at least three different proposals from PSG to renew his contract and is waiting for a move to the Santiago Bernebeau. 

The French international’s current contract expires in June 2022, with PSG at risk of losing one of football’s hottest prospects for free next summer. 

But the Qatar-backed club are known to have friendly relations with Madrid and with President Florentino Perez personally involved in the negotiations, the record Spanish champions are confident of forcing the move through before August 31’s transfer deadline, according to Goal.

The biggest factor in the equation is Mbappe himself, who has reportedly set his heart on donning the Los Blacos colours. The 22-year-old is known to be an admirer of Real Madrid and vice versa.

Despite Madrid’s financial troubles because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they feel they are in a position to sign Mbappe. They have recently offloaded a number of players, including selling Raphael Varane to Manchester United for approximately €47 million, and Martin Odegaard to Arsenal for approximately €35 million, among others. 

Mbappe was thought to have been willing to stay at PSG for at least another year, given the influx of stars at Paris over the summer. 

PSG have signed Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum for free while paying €60 million in exchange for Borussia Dortmund’s Achraf Hakimi – having had what is being considered the single-best transfer window ever. 

These arrivals was also meant to convince Mbappe to stay at Parc des Princes, with the French international also reportedly looking forward to playing with Barcelona great Messi. 

However, Mbappe seems set for a switch from the French capital to the Spanish, signalling he is ready to be the poster-boy and torchbearer at the biggest club in the world. 

Prior reports have indicated PSG will look to replace Mbappe with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

While there is little credible information suggesting Messi and Ronaldo might finally be teammates after scripting arguably the greatest rivalry story in sporting history, given the events of the summer so far, this fantasy deal cannot be ruled out yet.