Premier League clubs have been placed on red-alert after Real Madrid reportedly ruled themselves out of the running to sign Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire at the end of the season and the forward has insisted he will not sign a new deal with the Ligue 1 side.
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It has been widely expected that Mbappe will join Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, with the Spanish side having made approaches to sign the Frenchman in recent transfer windows.
However, Spanish outlet Cadena SAR, as per FourFourTwo, are reporting that a Real Madrid move for Mbappe is ‘off’ for now. The La Liga side last week released a statement to deny claims the club were negotiating to sign the 24-year-old on a free transfer next summer.
According to the report, there are reservations from the Real Madrid board over Mbappe’s wage demands, as the club look to build a ‘more sustainable wage structure, while there is fear over a backlash from the Spanish side’s supporters. Mbappe had looked set to sign for Real Madrid in 2022, before turning down the move in favour of signing a new contract with PSG.
The situation will put Premier League clubs on alert and Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle are all being linked with offering Mbappe a pre-contract proposal, with the France captain free to negotiate with foreign clubs from January.
There is also expected to be renewed interest in Mbappe from Saudi Arabia. PSG accepted a world-record £259 million bid from Al Hilal for the forward last summer, after the announcement that Mbappe would not sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes.
However, Mbappe turned down the transfer despite the prospect of becoming the highest-paid player in world football with the forward determined to remain in Europe and compete in the Champions League.
Mbappe has finished as Ligue 1’s leading scorer in five consecutive campaigns and is Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time record scorer, having netted 224 goals in 274 games since joining the capital club from AS Monaco.
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