Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos believes that Los Blancos possess a "good" enough team without the services of Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe.
For the past couple of years, Mbappe has been persistently linked with a switch from the Parc des Princes to the Bernabeu after Real tried and failed with two nine-figure bids in the summer 2021 window.
A free transfer to the Spanish capital in 2022 was seemingly on the cards, but to Real's surprise and chagrin, Mbappe instead extended his contract with PSG until 2024 with the option of an additional 12 months.
However, the 25-year-old was back in the headlines last summer after it emerged that he had refused to take up his one-year extension, leaving him free to walk away from Paris for nothing at the end of the season.
PSG's efforts to sever ties with Mbappe in 2023 ended in failure, and the ex-Monaco starlet has now informed the French champions that he intends to leave when his contract expires at the end of June.
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While PSG will not receive a single penny for Mbappe's exit, they will save an astronomical €200m (£171.6m) in yearly wages, and the France international will not receive his loyalty bonus either.
Mbappe is already believed to have agreed a pre-contract proposal from Real Madrid, although neither club have confirmed the existence of such a pact, while the striker is also remaining tight-lipped on his future.
Managers and players continue to be quizzed on the speculation, though, and Kroos - who faced Mbappe in Germany's recent 2-0 friendly win over France - was the latest player to be asked about the forward's prospective arrival in a press conference.
However, the 34-year-old was not crying out for Mbappe to join him in Madrid, saying: "If even he doesn't know, how can I know? The important thing is to win things. It would be nice for Madrid, but I think we already have a good team."
Do Real Madrid really need Mbappe this summer?
While Kroos and his Blancos counterparts are unsurprisingly remaining coy on Mbappe's potential arrival in the Spanish capital, the recently-recalled Germany international would certainly be expected to welcome the forward to the club with open arms should a transfer materialise.
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Whether he leaves PSG on good terms or in a more acrimonious manner, Mbappe will depart as the top scorer in the French champions' history, having amassed a staggering 250 strikes in just 297 matches.
With 106 assists also under his belt, Mbappe averages 1.2 goal contributions every game for Luis Enrique's side and notched a hat-trick in a recent 6-2 Ligue 1 thrashing of Montpellier HSC, having endured a frustrating run of first XI snubs and early substitutions in the wake of his decision over his future.
Amid Mbappe's exploits in France, Real Madrid have built up an eight-point lead at the top of the La Liga table with 64 goals in 29 matches, the best attacking return in the division so far.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have replaced the goals of Karim Benzema with the prolific feats of Jude Bellingham, who is leading the Golden Boot race with 16 top-flight efforts, while Vinicius Junior (12), Rodrygo (eight) and Joselu (eight) have also made their mark.
However, there is no guarantee that Joselu's stay from Espanyol will be made permanent, while Rodrygo has spoken of his desire to play out wide rather than centrally, giving Real two reasons why signing Mbappe would be a shrewd move indeed.
Ben Knapton
