Making a television appearance for the first time since the failed Kylian Mbappe transfer saga, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez criticised the Paris-Saint Germain star for his eleventh-hour snub.
Mbappe was expected to sign for Los Blancos following the conclusion of the domestic season in France but, instead, was successfully persuaded to prolong his stay in Paris by the club hierarchy – who even called on the French president Emmanuel Macron for help.
Speaking to the Spanish TV show El Chiringuito, Perez claimed that the young forward changed his plans fifteen days before his expected departure.
“His dream was to play at Real Madrid, we wanted to do it last August and they didn’t let him leave. He kept saying he wanted to play at Madrid, and 15 days before he changed the situation,”
“This is not the Mbappé I wanted to bring, he is another one, who must have changed his dream. He changes, he is offered other things, he is pressured and he is already another footballer.
There is no one at Real Madrid above the club. He is a great player, he can win more than others, but it is a collective sport and we have values and principles that we cannot change,”
Perez said.
A year earlier, PSG rejected multiple offers from Real Madrid to sign Mbappe for a mammoth, nine-figure fee. Nonetheless, the Parisians’ gamble almost didn’t pay off when, despite much campaigning, the Frenchman edged slowly towards an exit this summer.
However, weeks before his impending move to the Spanish capital, PSG achieved a breakthrough in the negotiations. As per Marca, the Ligue 1 champions got Mbappe to sign off on a deal that included a 50 million euros wage per annum for the next three years – in addition to a signing bonus of 180 million.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, moved swiftly to secure other targets. After announcing the arrival of central defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer, the club beat competition from Chelsea, Liverpool, and PSG to sign promising AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni for 100 million – after add-ons.
