Kylian Mbappe: Monaco prefer to sell Paris Saint-Germain target to Real Madrid
PSG still in talks over £166m deal to bring Mbappe to Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain are still in talks over a €180m (£166m) deal to sign teenage striker Kylian Mbappe, although Monaco reportedly prefer selling him to Real Madrid.
The Daily Telegraph says PSG are exploring all possibilities to sign Mbappe amid concerns that another big-money transfer could land the French club in hot water for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations. A source told the paper that negotiations were moving "very slow".
The Parisian giants completed the signing of Brazilian forward Neymar from Barcelona in a world-record £198m transfer earlier this month.
Real Madrid made a bid for Mbappe earlier this summer but it was turned down by Monaco, while Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked with the forward.
The 18-year-old has refused to sign a contract extension at Monaco and is reportedly pushing for a move to PSG – the club he supported while growing up in the French capital.
Earlier reports had suggested that PSG could sign Mbappe on a season-long loan before making the transfer permanent next summer.
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has named Mbappe in his squad for the game against Marseille on 27 August. The forward has not played for the French champions since their 3-2 win over Toulouse on 4 August.
PSG defender Marquinhos said he and his teammates did not know if Mbappe would be joining them by the end of the week.
"We are waiting for something official," he was quoted as saying by ESPN after PSG's win over St Etienne on 25 August. "We still do not know anything. We read things on the internet. We are still waiting though.
"He is a great player and he had a very good last season. The PSG project is very ambitious and to be ambitious, you need great players, big names.
"He is a player who has made a difference for Monaco and if he comes here, he will also add a lot to us."
Reports have suggested that Lucas Moura could move to Monaco as part of the deal that brings Mbappe to Parc des Princes, but Marquinhos hopes that is not the case.
"He is a really close friend of mine," Marquinhos stated. "He is also talented. I hope that he will stay with us. With the objectives that we have, you cannot just have 11 players. We will need everybody."
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