Barcelona find out why 23-year-old rejected Camp Nou move; Real Madrid dream revealed

Kylian Mbappe's love for Real Madrid is the reason why he turned down the chance to join Barcelona on a number of occasions. The Catalan giants have been pursuing a move for the Frenchman since 2017, but have come up short every time.

Barcelona approached Mbappe's family about signing him in 2017 before he moved to Paris Saint-Germain from AS Monaco. But the 23-year-old forward's father Wilfred Mbappe made it clear why his son snubbed a chance to move to the Camp Nou - it was simply to protect his chance to play for his favourite club in Spain.

"I'm a Barça fan but Kylian is Real Madrid. If he goes to Barça now, he could never end up playing for Madrid. If he goes to another club, he could still end up at Madrid," Mbappe senior said at the time, as quoted on Spanish publication Sport.

Mbappe's future is again up in the air going into this summer, as he nears the end of his contract with the Parisian club. He has rejected PSG's initial offers, and looks likely to join Real on a free transfer when his deal expires in June.

The Ligue 1 club are desperate to keep hold of one of the world's best players, but are facing a losing battle at the moment. PSG are expected to make a fresh offer with the promise of making him the highest paid player on the planet, but it remains to be seen if he will defer his decision to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Madrid giants remain the front runners for his signature, and are soon becoming the only contenders. Liverpool and Manchester City were linked with the France international, but have now dropped out of the race, giving Mbappe a simple choice - to remain in Paris with PSG or join the La Liga leaders.