Real Madrid first changed the target of recruitment.
British media 'Team Talk' reported on the 19th (Korea Standard Time) that 'Real is prioritizing the recruitment of Erling Haaland (Manchester City) over Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mbappe is considered one of Real's long-time recruitment candidates. Real has been constantly exploring the possibility of Mbappe's transfer since 2022.
This summer is considered a golden opportunity to complete his recruitment. Real plans to bring Mbappe, whose contract with PSG expires this summer, to free agency.
They are already preparing the details for this summer's recruitment. Real are pushing for a pre-contract with Mbappe with a 130-million-euro (W186.5 billion) joining bonus and a 26 million-euro (W37 billion) salary.
Opinions are divided on whether Mbappe is the right player for Real Madrid. The problem is that Real need a forward striker, while Mbappe prefers to play on the wing.
Mbappe actually doesn't prefer to play the striker role. He also plays as a left winger in most games for PSG. That's why PSG has focused on recruiting strikers like Gonzalo Harmus and Randall Colo Maunie this summer.
The same goes for the French national team. The front line was dominated by Olivier Giroud, Karim Benzema and Marcus Turang, while Mbappe continued to defend the left flank.
The story gets complicated if Mbappe refuses to play as a striker for Real. His position now overlaps with Real's main left wing Vinicius. Putting one of the two players on the bench would inevitably feel very inefficient for Real.
Real players are also concerned about this. For this reason, veteran Real players such as Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger, Daniel Carvajal, and Thibaut Courtois are said to be opposed to Mbappe.
Eventually, Real also revised its recruitment plans. According to the report, Real has set a goal of signing Haaland within the next 18 months to strengthen its offense.
There is some possibility that the transfer will be made. It has been confirmed that Holland's contract with Manchester City has a buyout of 100 million euros (about 140 billion won), less than Esang.
Haaland's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said in an interview, "We're leaving open the possibility of anything that can happen in 2024. She can decide her own fate," Holland even hinted at the existence of a buyout
Real's willingness to recruit Holland is firm. Tim Tok said, "Man City has already started early contact with Holland's agent. If he joins Real, he plans to persuade his transfer by saying that he has a higher chance of winning his first Ballon d'Or."
