Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe came close to joining Spanish giants on three separate occasions over the last ten years according to reports.
Mbappe is preparing to face Madrid on Wednesday in a Champions League knock-out stage. Los Blancos first reached out to Mbappe’s father Wilfrid when the future World Cup winner was 14, inviting him for a week-long trial.
Le Parisien
Mbappe and his family were flown out to Madrid, with none other than Zinédine Zidane as their guide. He attended a match – a home game against Espanyol – a training session, and finally met several of the team’s stars, notably taking a picture with Cristiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless, the family instead decides to opt for Monaco.
By 2017, the 18-year-old Mbappé had reached the Champions League final and won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco and was rapidly attracting interest, notably Barcelona and Liverpool. Noted super-agent Jorge Mendes, heavily involved at Monaco, was looking to orchestrate a move to Spain. However, the
Mbappé’s family did not want any agent involved, while the lack of guarantees over playing time also played a part in unfoiling Real Madrid’s plans to sign him.
Their €180m offer this summer – similar to the amount they were willing to pay four years earlier which consequently drove the price up for PSG – was the latest in a decade-long saga.
PSG manager Pochettino on Mbappé and Real Madrid: “Mbappé will make a decision on his future after the UCL clash with Real Madrid. I see Kylian focused on doing the best possible for PSG”, he told @ellarguero. 🔴🇫🇷 #PSG
“We respect Kylian – it’s up to him, to decide his future”. pic.twitter.com/V2SvAeTd9w
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 11, 2022
