Unai Emery reveals he convinced PSG star Kylian Mbappe to snub Real Madrid
Former PSG boss Unai Emery revealed to Radio MARCA that he convinced striker Kylian Mbappe to snub a move to Real Madrid back in 2017-18 season. Speaking of the now 21-year-old, the Villareal boss said:
When I was in Paris, Mbappé very seriously contemplated going to Real Madrid because he likes it a lot, he was very excited to play for Madrid. I didn’t want him to leave and I had a conversation with him and his father to convince him that he had to stay. Leaving Paris is not easy.
Kylian Mbappe 'excited' to play for Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe would be the perfect solution to Zinedine Zidane's goalscoring woes this season. The Los Blancos are heavily reliant on striker Karim Benzema to provide firepower, with Eden Hazard still out injured.
Real Madrid now have lost two games in a row, the first to newly-promoted Cadiz in the La Liga and then to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Both the games were played at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, the home of Real Madrid during the ongoing renovations at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
The Madrid giants will face Barcelona this weekend, with the Blaugrana coming off a 5-1 win over Ferencvaros the Champions League. However, even the Catalan giants are yet to hit their stride in the La Liga this season, having lost to Getafe following a drab draw against Sevilla.
Kylian Mbappe, who is already a World Cup winner, was part of the PSG side that lost to Manchester United at Le Parc des Princes on Tuesday. The French forward was expertly marshaled by Axel Tuanzebe for the Red Devils.
Real Madrid made no new signings this season, despite selling the likes of Achraf Hakimi (Inter), Óscar Rodríguez (Sevilla), James Rodríguez (Everton), Sergio Reguilón (Tottenham), and Javi Sánchez (Valladolid). It leaves room for a big name signing ahead of next season.
Kylian Mbappe could be that big name signing, although he won't come cheap. Paris St Germain signed the young forward for a fee of €180 million back in 2018 and although his contract expires in 2022, Madrid might have to match the fee if they sign him in 2021.