Le Parisien report today that Kylian Mbappé came close to joining Real Madrid on three separate occasions over the last ten years.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who prepares to face the La Liga side tomorrow night in the first leg of a Champions League clash, had notably pushed for a move this summer and links remain active as he enters the final few months of his contract.
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. Him 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 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.