Kylian Mbappe is reportedly ready to call it quits at AS Monaco as Barcelona and Real Madrid look set to launch the offensive for him.
French publication L’Equipe have reported that Kylian Mbappe is set to spark an all out head-to-head transfer war, having taken the decision to leave AS Monaco this summer. Bitter La Liga rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid are reportedly interested in the teenager and are set to make their move for him.
Mbappe has enjoyed a sensational rise to prominence over the course of last twelve months, playing an instrumental role in AS Monaco’s stunning Ligue triumph this past season. Having been famously hailed as the ‘next Thierry Henry’ in France, the burden of expectation do not seem to be bogging the player down.
Mbappe’s stock skyrocketed all through the 2016/17 season as he found the back of the net 26 times, while also providing 14 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions – a direct contribution to a goal every 66 minutes.
Suffice to say, Mbappe has become the single hottest property in the transfer market, with the biggest clubs in the world hot on his tails. The front-runners in the race to sign him, though, are Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the two La Liga heavyweights set to go head-to-head in his pursuit.
Barcelona have endured a thoroughly disappointing time in the summer transfer window to follow up an equally underwhelming 2016/17 campaign as they have failed to land any of their primary targets thus far. Things are now in danger of spiraling out of control with Neymar joining PSG.
The Brazilian’s departure has sent Barcelona scrambling to sign a top class replacement before the transfer window slams shut in a few weeks’ time. And Mbappe, with his pace and qualities on the ball has emerged as a candidate to replace Neymar at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, at Real Madrid, Alvaro Morata’s exit from Santiago Bernabeu has left Zinedine Zidane a little short of options upfront, with Karim Benzema as his only recognised option to lead the line. Zidane has already gone on record to state that Real Madrid are in the market for a striker, meaning a move for Mbappe could be on the cards.
Both clubs have already established contacts with AS Monaco and the player’s representatives. And the duo now looks set to lodge formal bids for Mbappe, with the report suggesting that he is ready to move away from Stade Louis II this summer.
The 18-year-old’s potential availability could also set other clubs into action, and it remains to be seen if more suitors emerge for the player. For now though, a move to La Liga looks to be on the horizon for Mbappe, although it will be interesting to see if he ends up at Barcelona or Real Madrid.
