Page 50 - Soccer360 Issue 105

KYLIAN MBAPPE SPOTLIGHT
RIGHT:
Despite making Mbappe and Neymar the world’s most expensive players, PSG have failed to win the Champions League
BOTTOM:
Will Florentino
Pérez finally secure Mbappe’s services this summer?
“MBAPPE AND PSG ARE STILL WAITING
TO LIFT THEIR FIRST
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
TROPHY”
in England wary of significant outlays
with a prime example being the recent winter transfer window in which clubs in the Premier League spent only £112 million compared to £815m the previous year.
All of these factors have opened the
door for Real Madrid, and Mbappe’s impending arrival is one that will not only be extremely exciting for fans, but they’ll also make Carlo Ancelotti’s side a truly fearsome proposition - both in La Liga and in Europe. If the Italian coach can find the right tactical structure, then they might take some stopping. Just the very thought of Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in the same team with their irrepressible pace and quality, is rather breathtaking.
Indeed, Ancelotti has already paid
some consideration to how he will accommodate Mbappe in his setup. It
is likely to involve Jude Bellingham - so prolific in his advanced role for Real Madrid in 2023-24 - playing slightly deeper, with Vinicius on the left and Mbappe taking up a position slightly left of centre. Should veteran former Ballon D’Or winner Luka Modric leave in the summer, Mbappe will be handed the no.10 shirt.
And so, now begins the countdown to when Mbappe to Real Madrid is surely announced. The transfer that Los Blancos supporters have been waiting for is finally set to happen and after years of falling short in Paris, the global superstar has the opportunity of a lifetime to finally fulfil
his Champions League ambitions. The finances involved are enormous, but both sides expect to get a handsome return on their commitment.
50 SOCCER360