Real Madrid’s dream is to sign Kylian Mbappé, and despite him not arriving in back-to-back summers, the Spanish side isn’t giving up. Even when manager Carlo Ancelotti wanted other alternatives, the club had no desire to waste funds on a player who wasn’t the Frenchman.
Although the transfer window has come and gone, discussions over the 24-year-old’s future continue. The latest to comment is Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal. The 31-year-old revealed his thought process throughout the summer as the saga unfolded.
“I am not going to lie to you and tell that we didn’t talk about the Mbappé situation but there were all kinds of opinions in the pre-season after dinners: ‘Well, I think he’s coming, well, I don’t think so,’ Carvajal told Relevo. “I thought Mbappé was coming [this summer to Real Madrid]. From the moment when he didn’t travel to the Japan tour … I think Real Madrid was his starting option.
At the time, when he was left out of the tour, we saw his signing [with Real Madrid] close. Then it seems like everything turned out differently. We asked the French players: ‘Hey, does this guy tell you anything?’ and they said, ‘no, no.’”
Dani Carvajal: “I am not going to lie to you and tell that we didn’t talk about the Mbappé situation but there were all kinds of opinions in the pre-season after dinners: ‘Well, I think he’s coming, well, I don’t think so..’ @relevo 🇪🇸🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/uYHsDskSpl
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) September 5, 2023
Dani Carvajal: “I thought Mbappé was coming (this summer to Real Madrid). From the moment, when he didn’t travel to the Japan tour… I think Real Madrid was his starting option. At the time, when he was left out of the tour, we saw his signing (with Real Madrid) close. Then it… pic.twitter.com/ZZmDtupddi
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) September 5, 2023
With the French national team playing on Thursday, PSG and Real Madrid players have weighed in with their thoughts on the situation. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni left the door open for his teammate on the national team to join them in the future.
Meanwhile, Lucas Hernandez stated his desire to see his new teammate remain in the French capital. Additionally, with other players from the French national team at PSG, they’ll likely look to convince the player to stay.