Michael Owen believes Real Madrid could close gap to Manchester City if they sign 25-year-old attacker
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid attacker Michael Owen has asserted that Kylian Mbappe's potential arrival could help Los Merengues challenge Manchester City in the near future.
Earlier this February, MARCA reported that Mbappe has already agreed to move to Los Blancos at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract. The 25-year-old is believed to earn between €15 million to €20 million-per-year after penning a five-year-deal at Madrid.
During a recent interview with Football Espana, Owen suggested that Real Madrid are currently in dire need of a centre-forward to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool. He said:
"They've certainly got a team now that has gone from an aging team to now looking young and vibrant and it looks like that it could be here to stay. Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid have just been locking horns now for the foreseeable maybe and that position looks like a big piece of the jigsaw at Madrid."
Opining on how Mbappe will fit in at Los Merengues, Owen continued:
"Mbappe can play off the left but with Vinicius Junior there, you would think that he is going to play down the middle and it could be an unbelievable strike force with Jude Bellingham in behind and playing off him... it could be an unbelievable team. But it will need to be unbelievable because Manchester City and Liverpool, for that matter, have set some real high standards at the moment."
Backing the La Liga club's decision to sign Mbappe, Owen concluded:
"But signing Mbappe is a great leveler. He is unbelievable so I don't think him fitting in will be a massive problem for Real Madrid. They have a glaring hole there and they need a centre-forward to score a load of goals, so why not go and pick the best one in the world and that's what they've done."
So far this campaign, Mbappe has netted 34 goals and laid out seven assists in 34 appearances across competitions for Luis Enrique's side.
Manchester City and Real Madrid aiming to snap up 21-year-old Bundesliga midfielder
According to Spanish news website Defensa Central, Manchester City are keen to rope in Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala. Cityzens manager Pep Guardiola is thought to be personally pushing for a move.
However, the Premier League champions are likely to face tough competition from Real Madrid in the race to sign the 21-year-old in the future. With Kevin De Bruyne linked with a summer move to the Saudi Pro League, City would have to act fast in their ongoing pursuit.
Musiala, whose current contract is set to expire on June 2026, has been one of the best performers for Thomas Tuchel's side since the start of past campaign. He has contributed 25 goals and 20 assists in his last 76 club matches, including 61 starts, across competitions.