Real Madrid have allegedly withdrawn their interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe once and for all following repeated failures to bring the Frenchman to the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have tried to prise Mbappe away from the Parc des Princes for the past couple of years and presented two nine-figure proposals to PSG in the last knockings of the summer 2021 window.
At the time, Mbappe was due to become a free agent in 2022, but Real were supposedly left hanging after submitting a second bid worth €200m (£174.4m) on deadline day.
A free transfer to Madrid for the 2022-23 season appeared to be on the cards, but Mbappe surprisingly snubbed Real to extend his PSG contract until 2024 with the option of an additional 12 months.
The 24-year-old's renewal will expire at the end of the campaign, and he sent shockwaves around Paris in the summer by informing the club that he had no plans to trigger his one-year extension, leaving the French champions at risk of losing him for nothing in 2024.
© Reuters
The whirlwind saga saw Mbappe demoted to training with other transfer-listed players and left out of their pre-season tour squad, as Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal tried their luck with a €300m (£261.5m) world-record bid.
The former Monaco man refused to enter talks with Al-Hilal and was eventually welcomed back into the first team, and despite rumours of a possible PSG extension, his contract situation remains the same.
Real recently rubbished claims that they had already begun negotiating Mbappe's move in 2024, but all the signs have pointed towards the World Cup winner donning the famous white strip next year, and the club had supposedly ruled out making any January signings to keep space for his arrival.
However, a fresh report from Cadena Ser states that Real Madrid have ended their pursuit of Mbappe once and for all, regardless of whether the attacker leaves PSG at the end of the season.
The Spanish outlet claims that Mbappe would expect a salary of yearly salary of €20m (£17.4m) with Real Madrid, in addition to a lucrative signing-on bonus, and the club would simply not sanction such an inconceivable wage.
© Reuters
In addition, Mbappe turns 25 years old next month, and his arrival would go against Real's recent transfer policy of signings young stars in their teenage years or early 20s.
Finally, there is purportedly a "negative climate" around Mbappe's possible arrival after the Frenchman visited Real's headquarters in 2022, shortly before committing his future to PSG.
As a result, Los Blancos have decided to scope out alternative targets to succeed the long-serving Karim Benzema, whose 14-year stint in Madrid came to a close with his move to Al-Ittihad over the summer.
Mbappe could be left short of options for a 2024 transfer as a result, although it has been suggested that Liverpool are holding out hope of an audacious free transfer for the 24-year-old at the end of the season.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani reportedly wanted to bring Mbappe to Manchester United had he completed a full takeover from the Glazer family, but the Qatari banker has now withdrawn from the ownership race as Sir Jim Ratcliffe closes in on a minority stake.
Ben Knapton
