Page 47 - Soccer360 Issue 105

BOTTOM LEFT:
Kylian Mbappe looks on in action during a Ligue 1 match
BOTTOM:
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after winning the World Cup
BOTTOM RIGHT:
Real Madrid have set their sights on signing Alphonso Davies
DAVIES TO
REAL?Ian Waterhouse asks if Real Madrid
can complete the signing of Bayern Munich and Canada star Alphonso Davies this summer.
Spanish giants Real Madrid are big admirers of Canada’s Alphonso Davies and rightly so. The Bayern Munich full- back may have had a few injury setbacks despite only being 23, but that hasn’t stopped him being an integral part of the Bayern setup, especially on the left side of the pitch where he has adopted the nickname ‘roadrunner’ for his exceptional speed and sensational ability while
on the ball. Davies’ contract with the German giants expires in the summer
of 2025 and Carlo Ancelotti’s side are expected to make a move for him this summer. If successful in their pursuit, he would represent a significant upgrade on Real’s current left-back options, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia. As ever, there are a few stumbling blocks which Real will have to overcome if they are to get their man. One of those is that Davies himself has stated he is ‘comfortable’ at his current club and has no immediate intention of leaving. The second is that Bayern are equally keen to keep their man too and have reportedly offered Davies a lucrative new deal to keep him in Bavaria. Another issue for Real is their pursuit of PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, as the vast sign-on fee they would have to pay for the Frenchman may scupper any plans to exceed Bayern’s contract offer to Davies with the likeliest scenario for the Madrid heavyweights of having to choose one or the other and not both. Whatever happens in the unpredictable transfer market, one thing is certain, Alphonso Davies will be playing for one of Europe’s top clubs next season - now we just need to wait and see whether it will be in Spain or Germany.
“DAVIESIS ‘COMFORTABLE’ AT HIS CURRENT CLUB AND HAS NO IMMEDIATE INTENTION OF LEAVING”
Halaand with the Gerd Muller Trophy
“MBAPPE’S CONTRACT EXPIRES IN
we seem to find ourselves in. The stand-
off that followed resulted in the Parisians exiling him from the first-team squad for a time, and he was not involved in the pre- season tour of Asia. However, the air was eventually cleared when an agreement was reached between the club and the player’s representatives which ensured PSG wouldn’t lose out if and when he leaves. This is likely to involve either a sale with a transfer fee or financial sacrifices on Mbappe’s part.
That now looks certain to be this summer, as Mbappe has officially told PSG that he wants to leave at the end of the season,
and he has a verbal agreement in place with Real Madrid. It isn’t a done deal just yet,
but unless something unexpected happens, he will definitely be calling the Santiago Bernabeu his new home at the start of the 2024-25 season - ending one of the most protracted pursuits in recent memory.
Just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Jude Bellingham and many others in between, the move would be a dream come true
for Mbappe. The Frenchman himself admitted a long time ago that Los Blancos would be a preferred destination and
THE SUMMER”
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