CHELSEA legend Florent Malouda insists it is “only a matter of time” until Kylian Mbappe joins Real Madrid… but could still move to the Premier League at some point.
Mbappe has informed PSG he won’t trigger the option to extend his contract until 2025, which means he will be a free agent next summer and the French champions are not keen to lose him for nothing.
This stunning development has put Europe’s top bidders on high alert with Manchester United linked with an interest for the star striker who may cost more than €250million (£216m).
However, Malouda believes Real are the France international’s likeliest destination if he decides to depart from Parc des Princes but it will all come down to a project that fulfils his ambitions.
That is why the former winger believes the only Premier League team that could attract Mbappe is Manchester City as he aspires to win the Champions League in the near future.
Malouda told SunSport, via Genting Casino: “For me, it is only a matter of time before he plays for Real Madrid. He has that desire to wear the white shirt because he liked the team when he was young. Eventually, I think he will try the Premier League, but right now, I don’t see any team apart from Manchester City that would attract him. It is not the right time for him to come to the Premier League.
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“Everybody associated with PSG and France would love him to stay, but his priority is the sports aspect and the project. He wants a competitive project and PSG have to do their part. Kylian could play for any club in the world. This isn’t about money. He is looking for greatness and wants to find a club that can match his talents and give him the opportunity to win the Champions League.
“He had the opportunity to go to Madrid and he extended his contract, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he found an agreement with PSG in the future. I would be very surprised if he left this summer. I think from his point of view, everything has always been clear: he wants PSG to give him a project that can fulfill his ambitions.”
Malouda retired in 2018 after a celebrated career that saw him spend six years at Chelsea after his arrival from Lyon in 2007 and went on to win the Double in 2010 as well as the Champions League in 2012.
The former France international still watches his former club and insists new manager Mauricio Pochettino will have his hands full after a disastrous campaign that saw the Blues finishing 12th.
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The 43-year-old expects Pochettino to be under immense pressure and is adamant he can only hit the ground running if he wins over the dressing room.
Malouda added: “He needs to rebuild a lot of things. He needs to rebuild an identity and a culture. He has already been studying what happened at Chelsea last season and has been talking to people at the club.
“There were a lot of problems at the club last season, and you could tell that something was very wrong, the results and where Chelsea finished the league confirm that. He is the leader now and he needs to demonstrate that leadership from the first day. There are so many people that will be looking towards him, the players, the staff, the fans. They want to see Chelsea back at the top. He has to lead them with confidence.
“He will understand the size of the job that he is taking on and he will know that he will be under pressure almost immediately. He has been doing a huge amount of work behind the scenes and he will know that having a good pre-season is the first step in the journey.
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“To get off to a good start, he will have to get the players on his side. He will need to completely believe in his methods and the targets that he will set. It’s a huge job, and he has experience, but he will need his players to support him and give everything from the first match of the season.”
Pochettino has started by offloading players from Chelsea’s bloated squad and one of the club’s most notable departures is Kai Havertz, who joined London rivals Arsenal after a £65m deal.
Malouda believes Havertz’s move to the Emirates signals at a new strategy by the Gunners with manager Mikel Arteta opting for players with experience of winning trophies, like Gabriel Jesus.
The Frenchman doesn’t expect the Germany international to play as a No9, like he did last season for the West Londoners, but could instead feature as a “supporting attacking midfielder”.
Malouda said: “I think this is part of Arsenal’s strategy. They are looking to bring players into their squad that are a certain age with the experience of winning trophies.
“You must also think that Mikel Arteta has a development plan for Kai Havertz and he will know exactly how he will use him to make Arsenal better. I think this is a signing that is similar to when Arsenal bought Gabriel Jesus last summer.
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“I definitely don’t see him as a number nine. I see him as more of a supporting attacking midfielder who can play around the striker. He has the ability to make long runs and he is comfortable arriving in the box and timing his runs well. I think he needs to create things in the midfield.
“I’m sure his game will be more suited to Arsenal than at Chelsea because Arsenal play with a lot of interchanging and movement between positions.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
