REAL MADRID are hoping Kylian Mbappe follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario and Zinedine Zidane and joins them next year.
Los Blancos have been desperate to sign the French star, 21, for months now.
Real Madrid hope Mbappe follows in the footsteps of Ronaldo and ZidaneCredit: Icon Sport – Getty
They had hoped to sign him this summer, but weren’t able to afford him due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But with Mbappe stalling on a new deal at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid are confident of landing their man before next season.
Mbappe has made it no secret he was a boyhood supporter of the Bernabeu giants.
And recently, the France striker admitted it was his dream to move to Madrid.
Mbappe is refusing to sign a new deal at PSG in a bid to keep his options open ahead of a potential move.
Not signing a new contract will make it cheaper and easier for Real Madrid to land their top target in 2021.
That could then open things up for Los Blancos to launch a second mega-money move in 2021 – with Erling Haaland already being targeted.
Mbappe is under contract in the French capital until the end of the 2021-22 season.
Ronaldo ultimately forced a move to Real Madrid during his time at Man UtdCredit: Reuters
Should he NOT sign a new deal before the end of this season, PSG will likely look to sell him while there is still a year left on his deal to ensure he doesn’t leave on a free.
In decades past, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian Ronaldo and Zidane have all pulled off similar stunts – holding fire on signing fresh terms at their clubs in order to navigate a route to the Spanish capital.
Now AS are claiming Los Blancos are ‘confident’ Mbappe will follow in their footsteps.
In 2000, Zidane agreed to join Real after a meeting with then-president Ramon Calderon at Monaco Yacht Club.
For the next year, Juventus fought tooth and nail to keep him – to no avail – with Zizou moving to Spain in the summer of 2001.
Now-Real boss Zidane forced a move to Madrid during his time at JuventusCredit: AFP – Getty
With Brazil ace Ronaldo, Inter Milan had demanded £75million for their star striker.
But thanks to the forward’s obvious desire to quit the San Siro, they ultimately settled for £40m.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, was a long drawn-out saga – with Sir Alex Ferguson even once saying: “I would not sell them [Madrid] a virus.”
But in 2009, after signing a pre-agreement in January, Ronaldo finally got his move away from Manchester United that summer for a then world-record £80million.
PSG target Cristiano Ronaldo in sensational transfer as replacement for Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe next summer
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
