Real Madrid has received a warning about Kylian Mbappe from FC Barcelona legend Thierry Henry according to Le Parisien, which cited anonymous sources.
The Athletic reported last month how Mbappe has already told his current employers Paris Saint-Germain that he will not extend his contract with them as it nears expiry on June 30.
Real Madrid is widely believed to be the 25-year-old’s next club destination, with MARCA later reporting that he has signed a five-season deal with Los Blancos.
That claim has been refuted by French outlets including RMC Sport, but it still seems difficult not to imagine Mbappe continuing his career at the Bernabeu from the 2024/2025 season onwards.
But when exactly the Frenchman will move from his country’s capital to the Spanish one is a sticking point.
Despite also being nailed on to lead France’s attack at the European Championships in Germany from mid-June onwards, Mbappe has made it clear that he would like to represent Les Bleus at the Olympic games which will be held in his hometown on this occasion.
“I have reached a point in my life and career where I no longer want to force things,” Mbappe told GQ in France earlier this year, when pressed on whether PSG would let him play two major tournaments ahead of the club season.
“If they let me do them, I would go with great pleasure but if it is not possible, I would understand. For any athlete, the Olympics have a special place and I already wanted to go to Tokyo because I want to win everything and write my name in the history of the French team as that of a player who mattered.”
It now remains to be seen if Mbappe would take the same stance with Madrid and not force his presence at the Games, plus whether the 14-time Champions League winners’ president Florentino Perez would put his foot down or let Mbappe play in the U-23 football tournament there.
After all, Madrid is expected to head on a preseason friendly tour of the United States at around the same time, and there will be no better place to show Mbappe off as a marquee signing while there could also be increased marketing opportunities.
As Le Parisien explains, though, Henry has made it clear he wants Mbappe in his squad to try and win the gold medal, in addition to the forward’s fellow Russia 2018 World Cup winners Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud as a trio of stars that is allowed to be over the specified age.
A club versus country row could be brewing before Mbappe has even had the chance to pull on Madrid’s iconic white shirt.
