Mbappe drops hint over Real Madrid transfer for ‘best in the world’ teammate

Kylian Mbappe fuelled speculation that Real Madrid could push to sign one of his in-demand French teammates next summer.

Having made a number of marquee transfers in recent years, many upon the expiry of their contracts such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mbappe himself, Madrid are expected to continue the same trend next summer in their pursuit of a defender.

The likes of Ibrahima Konate and Marc Guehi have been linked with a move to the Bernabeu when their deals expire at the end of the season but Los Blancos could push the hardest for Dayot Upamecano if he opts against renewing his contract at Bayern Munich.

Several reports have claimed that Real already have an agreement in place with Upamecano and Mbappe could not hide his excitement at potentially linking up with his international teammate in Madrid.

“He’s at a big club, Bayern, there’s not much better… But there are better ones,” Mbappe said with a smile. “I’m not going to say anything, I’m not going to get into that debate, out of respect for his club and for him, because I know that if I say something he’ll be under more pressure.

“But when you talk about a player of this calibre, all the clubs will be on the lookout to sign him. He’s doing very well, he’s very confident, full of self-assurance. He’s in the debate about who is the best defender in the world.”

Real Madrid set to decide between defensive signings

Upamecano is in the final year of his contract with Bayern and he has so far resisted attempts to extend his deal, leading to speculation that his head has been turned by a potential move to Madrid.

Bayern have also explored a deal to sign Guehi as a replacement as they slowly resign themselves to losing Upamecano, although they are still holding out hope of his decision.

Real, meanwhile, are expecting to sign at least one defender next summer and, having initially identified Konate as their top target, Upamecano is said to be the club’s priority option now.

Players are not allowed to formally sign pre-contract agreements with a team until the last six months of their deal, meaning Real will have to wait until January at the earliest to secure any signings, but it appears the Spanish giants have Mbappe’s approval of which defensive target they should pursue next year.

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