Real Madrid’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappe may not exactly be over just yet. According to Vozpopuli, the LaLiga giants are close to signing the France international from Paris Saint-Germain. The Spanish outlet claims that Real president Florentino Perez has sanctioned a late bid for the player.

Spanish club would have to spend big to grab Mbappe a year early

Although they did not name an exact fee, Vozpopuli did state that PSG is willing to drop their asking price for the star by around $55 million. The Ligue 1 champions previously put a hefty price tag of about $273 million on Mbappe. This is despite the fact that the Frenchman is entering his final year under contract. Assuming this is accurate, Real may have to pay PSG around $218 million to secure Mbappe now.

Splashing this much cash on the electric forward would certainly be surprising. After all, Real is already likely to sign Mbappe as a free agent next summer. The Spanish side would be spending over $200 million to have the Frenchman on the roster a year early. This massive amount of money also does not include the player’s expensive contract as well.

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti also recently declared that his team was done purchasing players this summer. The coach emphatically ruled out any possible incomings when asked directly about the situation ahead of the Sep. 1 deadline.

Outlet claims Real will make move due to limited striker options

Nevertheless, the outlet cites Karim Benzema’s departure from the club and Vinicius Junior’s injury as reasons for the reversal. Benzema previously joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad and Real has not yet found a replacement for the center forward. Vinicius also recently suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline the star for multiple weeks.

Despite the setbacks in the squad, Real has won all three of their LaLiga matches so far this season. Summer signing Jude Bellingham has taken over much of the scoring for the club. The midfielder has already netted four goals in the trio of league games with his new club.

Mbappe has also hit the ground running during the 2023/24 campaign as well. After previously being locked out of the team, the Frenchman has scored in both Ligue 1 matches since entering the fray once again. PSG is currently pursuing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani in an attempt to bolster their attacking front line.

Photo: Imago