“Real Madrid switches to the Norwegian” – Kommersant FM

Spanish media, citing sources in Real Madrid, reported that the Madrid club is ready to buy Erling Haaland instead of Keelan Mbappe. Earlier, Real announced that they wanted to sign the PSG forward, and even gave the player time to think until January 15. Haaland’s contract with Manchester City runs until the summer of 2027, while Mbappe’s agreement expires this summer. Kommersant FM sports commentator Vladimir Osipov looked into the situation.

The desires of Real Madrid’s leaders change like the weather in the mountains. Either Madrid wants to sign one of their star forwards, Mbappe or Haaland, or they assure the world that they are not going to build a team around one of them. After another failure in the negotiation process for the Frenchman with PSG, Real seems to be switching to the Norwegian, who is now doing well at Manchester City. The British club pays Haaland €22.5 million a year plus bonuses and, most likely, will not mind selling the star, for serious money, of course. Moreover, Erling himself, according to the press, is not against the transition. So this time Madrid might succeed.

Mbappe and Haaland are not alike in football terms, but this doesn’t matter to Real, says football agent Vadim Trushkov, who lives and works in France: “He’s just one scoring forward. In what style will he score, with speed or with power? It’s up to the coach to integrate it into the game model. Both star players will play in any team. There are probably about five players who will consistently score goals. Both Haaland and Mbappe belong to them.”

But what about the soap opera with Mbappe, which stretches into the spring of 2022? This “Santa Barbara”, despite all the statements of Real Madrid, is not yet completed. The fact is that Kylian’s contract expires in the summer of 2024, after which he will receive a loyalty bonus to PSG of €40 million and leave the club as a free agent, that is, completely free. This means that in the end it will be easier to get a Frenchman than a Norwegian.

True, Mbappe’s mother demands a signing bonus of €150 million. But this amount is unlikely to become a problem for Real, and in the end the expenses will be justified, football manager Yuri Belous is sure: “Mbappe is a person who, in general, shows the result. I think in the next couple of months only €100 million worth of his shirts will be sold.

This is the player who will determine the current history, the future history of football in the next 10-12 years.”

So, despite Real Madrid’s statement, all this hype could be a strategic move to rush the Frenchman. He must make a decision on his move to the Madrid club by January 15. In addition, not all clubs can attract a player of this level and his salary (about €100 million), notes football agent Vadim Trushkov: “There are literally two or three clubs where Mbappe could end up. “Manchester City”, “Real”, “Paris Saint-Germain”, but he plays in the latter anyway. Maybe many would like to sign a contract with him, but he and his entourage choose. Of course, he won’t go to the conventional “Napoli” or the same “Milan”, for example.”

This year, Real Madrid’s protracted search for a star forward should definitely end. One of the most popular football portals, Transfermarkt, rates both Haaland and Mbappe equally. The price for each of these players is currently €180 million. So far, the most expensive deal to purchase a player in the history of football is the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG for €222 million. But it is possible that one of the two strikers will be able to beat that incredible contract. After all, Mbappe is only 25 years old, and Haaland is 23 years old, and they definitely have time.

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