Mbappé to Real Madrid – the pros and cons

The Kylian Mbappé-Real Madrid soap opera hasn't run it's course just yet. In January 2024, the French forward will be able to negotiate with the team that wants him to leave PSG, with whom he is contracted to until June. After that, he'll be a free man as far as the market is concerned, but there's only one place he's likely to go.

Some media outlets, such as Cadena SER, have definitively ruled out his signing for 'Los Blancos', but that is something that remains to be seen after so much time trying to obtain his services and with favorable conditions, such as his possible 'free' arrival next year.

So what's going in favour of Mbappé's at Madrid and what's going against it. Let's do a little analysis of the pros and cons of his purported move.

If we start with the reasons in favor of his signing, one of the main ones is Real Madrid's need to hire a scoring forward (or several), something they currently lack, especially after the departure of Karim Benzema.

In that sense, Kylian Mbappé is a safe bet. In his first six seasons at PSG (the current one is his seventh), he has scored a total of 212 goals, with his lowest scoring record in the League being his first season with the Parisians in which he scored 13 goals.

In that first campaign in Paris he also scored 4 goals in the Champions League, to which are added 33 in the League and European competition and 4 goals in the 2018-2019 season; 18 and 5 goals in 2019-2020; 27 and 8 goals in 2020-2021; 28 and 6 goals in 2021-2022; and 29 and 7 goals in the 2023-2024 season.

These numbers and the games he has played in the elite (238 in Ligue 1 and 65 in the Champions League) mean that Mbappé has enough experience to think that he would perform at a high level with Real Madrid in all competitions.

Although with PSG he has not won major titles beyond Ligue 1 and the French Cup, he knows what it means to reach the pinacle of the game – having reached the Champions League final with PSG, and winning the World Cup with France in 2018.

Mbappé also stands out for his great leadership capacity in the team, which has led him to be seen as the most important player in the PSG squad at a time even when he shared a dressing room with Messi and Neymar. The Frenchman is not a footballer who keeps his head down, but a true leader on the pitch and in the sheds.

And not only a leader, but for years he has been considered a true world star, one of the best players in the world, potential Ballon d'Or winner, along with other names such as Erling Haaland, worthy successor to the thrones that  Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are leaving vacant.

And being a world star is something of great value in terms of marketing and revenue – something that has been highly valued by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez going back to the days of the 'Galácticos'.

The Mbappé image and brand, hand in hand with that of Real Madrid, could be an inexhaustible source of income for the club and the player himself, in terms of the sale of shirts, advertising contracts, sponsors, etc.

Economically speaking, we cannot miss the fact that Mbappé ends his contract with PSG next season which, ignoring the transfer bonus – which would not be cheap – would mean the arrival of one of the best players in the world to Real Madrid at zero cost. If it was happening at any other team the cost would potentially be record-breaking.

His age also fits within Real Madrid's current transfer policy, which prefers to reinforce the squad with young players, which is why, in the last winter market, a superstar like Harry Kane was ruled out. If he signs for Madrid, Mbappé would arrive at the age of 25.

In that team, he will join players whom he knows well from the French team and who would help him adapt to the team, such as Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouameni or Ferland Mendy.

Finally, joining Mbappé at Real Madrid with another superstar like Vinicius Jr., already in the Merengues ranks, and the promising Brazilian forward Endrick, who will hopefully land in the Spanish capital next season, would create a fearsome attacking trident... Will we see the MVE scoring at the new Bernabéu?

But not everything is rosy in the world of football and there are times when what seems like it could be a good signing could end up being a negative bet for the club, so it is important to also weigh the cons of the possible arrival of Mbappé at Real Madrid.

The biggest question would whether he would be a good fit for a locker room already packed with big names and leaders. Ego fighting could be a major problem for team performance as has been demonstrated in other cases.

And Mbappé himself was front and centre of one of them. His relationship in the PSG locker room with Messi and Neymar was not the best, to the point that they did not even speak to each other causing a serious rift in the Parisian club. In fact, there are many who blame the French forward for the departure of the other two superstars of the team.

Mbappé would arrive at Real Madrid with Vinicius Jr. consolidated as one of the best players in the world and with Jude Bellingham who has emerged this season as Real Madrid's next great superstar.

Mbappé has shown that he wants to be the leader of his team and that he does not want others to overshadow him on the team, so the presence of footballers like Vinicius Jr or Bellingham could end up causing some issues.

And with Vinicius another important problem may arise – they share the same position. Both the Brazilian and the French prefer playing in attack on the left wing and this season, and with Carlo Ancelotti's changes in scheme, it was shown that Vini has not been as effective outside his comfort zone. Would Mbappé be able to readapt? It's surely going to be an issue either way.

Another important issue is the so-called salary scale at Madrid. That is, the huge salary discrepancies that exist between the big-name players and some of the lesser-celebrated squad members. Mbappé would of course go directly to the top of the ranks.

The Frenchman would not arrive at Real Madrid for a salary below 20 million euros (£17.5m, $21.3 USD)  per year, to which we would have to add a million-dollar transfer bonus that would raise him to probably be the highest-paid player on the team. A compelling reason to cause problems within the locker room.

In the current 2023-2024 season, the player who earns the most within Real Madrid is Toni Kross, with 24.4 million euros per year, accompanied in that first section of the salary scale by David Alaba (22.5 million), Luka Modric (21.8 million); and Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham (20.8 million each).

On the other hand, Mbappé has proven to be a player of another level, capable of performing perfectly in the elite, but the pressure of playing for Real Madrid is not the same as what he has at PSG. 'Los Blancos' is probably the most demanding club in the world and patience with new players is not exactly one of its virtues.

In that sense, it would be necessary to see if Mbappé would be able to quickly adapt to the schemes of his coach at Real Madrid and the rest of his teammates, in addition to the demands in terms of titles and results. Something that, for example, the Englishman Jude Bellingham has done to perfection.

His arrival at Real Madrid may make many try to compare him with other historical players and big-name arrivals, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, whose numbers can be difficult to match. The Frenchman would surely have to deal with fans who would demand a performance similar to that of the Portuguese forward.

There is also a perception among Real Madrid fans that Mbappé would only come to Madrid if the price was right, having previously chosen big money deals from PSG over potential negotiations with Madrid. That has not exactly endeared him to many fans, so you shouldn't expect him to arrive to open arms.

The debate is on the table. Real Madrid has many reasons to sign Kylian Mbappé, but there's plenty going against the move. At the rate this saga is progressing, there's going to be a few more points to add to each column before June 2024 rolls around.