Reports: Real Madrid agree terms with top target
What's the story?
It's almost as if every summer has to have a big payoff and what is the biggest break-the-bank saga of this window seems to finally be coming to a head as Real Madrid are confident on breaking the world record to land Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco for a staggering amount of £120m, according to reports from The Sun. Los Blancos have agreed terms with the 18-year-old and will look to close the deal within 2 weeks.
In case you didn't know...
The Real Madrid bosses have been hustling for about a month, trying to persuade the Ligue 1 champions to part with the greatest teenage sensation that has taken over the footballing world.
The 18-year-old, who is valued at an eye-popping £123m, has been the subject of interest from all around Europe and Los Blancos seem to be the ones who are getting his signature.
Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid manager, holds Mbappe in high regard and had this to say about the French youngster, “He’s a very good player. His talent at 18 years and his personality is very good. As a player, I like everything he showed last year. He’s not my player so I can’t say more.'
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The heart of the matter
Florentino Perez strives every year to deliver on his promise of a marquee signing and has shown no intentions of slowing down. Having sealed the Alvaro Morata deal on a remarkable bargain, Madrid are not short on funds. Los Blancos had earlier offloaded James Rodriguez to Bayern on loan and can now confidently conjure up a deal for the wunderkind with the wage budget getting a raise following the departure of two players who were, arguably, surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu.
In what was a dream season for AS Monaco, Kylian Mbappe scored a whopping 26 goals in all competitions while laying out 8 assists. Touted to be, perhaps, the greatest teenage talent to have been uncovered since a certain Lionel Messi, Mbappe has gone on to prove himself at the top level what a force of destruction he can be.
Playing the most vital part in Monaco outfit earning the reputation of a free-scoring team, the teenager is pacey, relishes having the ball at his feet and can send even the top defenders into a hiding with his incredible set of skills. A level-headed finisher, the 18-year-old is a spectacular sight to watch on the football field.
Mbappe's exploits have more than merely 'caught the eye' of the European giants. Monaco have had their hackles raised with some of the interested buyers taking the backdoor and approaching the player without the clubs consent. The Ligue 1 have threatened to blow the whistle on a couple of clubs, reportedly PSG and Manchester City for unethical advances they have made to sign the Mbappe
Real Madrid have been long-standing admirers of the Frenchman and have been trying to sign him since the age of 14. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea were linked with the player but with the youngster wanting to join Los Merengues, Madrid are all set to welcome the signing of the summer.
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Author's take
Mbappe is the hottest young talent and the Santiago Bernabeu looks like the perfect place for the development of the teenager who has the goods to potentially be one of the very best in the world.
With Mbappe added to their ranks, Real Madrid's famous counter-attacks are going to go a gear up (is that possible, though, I wonder), and there just might be no stopping them. With Ronaldo shifting to a more central role given his age, Mbappe can restore the velocity to the flanks and prove to be a more-than-worthy replacement for the departed Alvaro Morata.