The reason why Real Madrid did not attain Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe's services in the latest transfer window has reportedly been revealed.
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Los Blancos and the Bondy native were once again the transfer story of the off-season after the 24-year-old publicly declared that he would not be extending his contract with PSG beyond his current deal.
While Real have been long-time admirers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, they made no formal approach for the France captain in the latest window.
Al Hilal was the only team to test Les Parisiens' resolve with a concrete offer, but the player himself insisted he did not want to move to Saudi Arabia, while the LALIGA juggernauts did not seem eager to once again be embroiled in a transfer tug-of-war with the record Ligue 1 champions.
The Athletic's Guillermo Rai has now explained why Los Merengues decided against making a formal offer for the France captain this time around.
"[Mbappe] is one of the very few options who would put the team on another level and Madrid would have tried to sign him if all the conditions had been met and the player was within reach," Rai said.
"But his contract [which runs until at least 2024] and stance on his future prevented the club from going for him, despite PSG having been much more open to a sale this summer."
The Spanish giants have been reluctant to negotiate with PSG for Mbappe ever since they had multiple big-money offers rejected by the French side in 2021.
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Couple that with their failed pursuit in 2022, when he surprised many in signing an extension in Paris, and president Florentino Perez now seems intent on only signing the Frenchman on a free transfer, something the two parties are believed to have already agreed upon for 2024.
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