Transfer News: Real Madrid end pursuit of Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid have reportedly decided to end their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe after having been turned down twice.

According to a report from French publication RMC Sport, Real Madrid have decided to stop negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over the signing of French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting forwards in the game currently and has been on the radars of Real Madrid ever since he broke onto the scenes at AS Monaco back in 2016/17. Having joined PSG in 2017, Mbappe has soared to great heights, winning numerous trophies and titles, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France.

Mbappe’s future in Paris, however, looked far from secure as he entered the final year of his contract and turned down offers of extension from the Ligue 1 giants, as confirmed by director Leonardo. This presented Real Madrid the ideal opportunity to swoop in for their primary transfer target in the ongoing transfer window.

Indeed, Real Madrid made an opening offer of a whopping €160 million to pry away Mbappe from PSG’s hands. However, they were met with a firm rejection from Les Parisiens. A second offer, believed to be around €180 million plus bonuses, was also thrown out, even though it was being reported that Mbape was close to signing for the Spanish capital outfit.

It has now emerged that, on Monday, Real Madrid’s representatives in Paris have decided to bring an end to the negotiations for the 22-year-old. However, the report does add that it could be yet another situation of Los Blancos playing ‘poker’, with a late attempt on the deadline day still a possibility.

Real Madrid have made a decent start to life under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. However, the centre-forward slot remains a major concern considering that Karim Benzema is the only in-form player in the position at the Italian tactician’s disposal. With the likes of Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio, Rodrygo Goes not delivering the goods on a consistent basis, there is added pressure on the Frenchman each time.

That is something that could have been addressed by the signing of Mbappe, who could have partnered Benzema for a year or two before taking over as the main man at the club. However, as things stand, a move to Real Madrid looks off for the PSG superstar. In case he does not sign a new contract between now and next summer, we can certainly expect the Merengues to make a move to sign him on a free transfer.