Jude Bellingham will be England's key man at Euro 2024 | Football Digest
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly decided to pursue Kylian Mbappe rather than Erling Haaland, with the team looking for a new striker to replace Karim Benzema who left in the summer. Carlo Ancelotti devised a new system to allow Jude Bellingham to get forward in support of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo but a top-level striker is expected to be recruited at the end of the season.
Los Blancos have had a long-standing interest in both players and have previously attempted to lure Mbappe and Haaland to the Bernabeu. The France star was expected to have already moved to Madrid but signed a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain, though that has not stopped Perez from pursuing him again.
Foot Mercato have claimed that Perez has made his internal decision to sign Mbappe rather than Haaland, even though the PSG forward turned down the opportunity to leave Ligue 1 on a free transfer to Madrid. That decision prompted many to think that Haaland would be seen as the natural alternative.
But Perez has made it clear that if Madrid were to make such a huge financial effort to sign a striker, then it would be for Mbappe rather than Haaland. He views Mbappe as the more logical choice, knowing that the club are demanding a superstar forward signing in the summer.
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Perez also believes that Mbappe, rather than Haaland, would also allow Bellingham to continue thriving in Spain. The England international has scored 13 goals in 13 games in La Liga and the Champions League, but the club chief insists that Mbappe would be a better fit even though Bellingham has performed alongside Haaland previously for Borussia Dortmund.
Mbappe may also be seen as a more achievable signing as opposed to Haaland, who appears to be happy at Manchester City with Pep Guardiola while Mbappe has previously appeared unsettled at PSG.
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ESPN had claimed that there was a release clause in Haaland’s contract, however, that would allow teams to purchase the striker for £174. Madrid are aware of the clause but City are attempting to negotiate a new deal with their star man in order to remove the clause and tie him down for a further year until 2028.
Mbappe’s ability to play down either wing and centrally could prove pivotal to Madrid’s thinking. Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo operate on each flank but with Brazilian wonderkid Endrick joining in the summer from Palmeiras, the 17-year-old could be seen as the future of Madrid’s frontline.
It could be difficult to imagine Haaland and Endrick playing together, but Mbappe is a much more versatile forward and could move around to start alongside the next best talent to come out of South America.
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