La Liga chief backs Real Madrid over Barcelona to complete double deal

La Liga chief Javier Tebas believes Real Madrid will be successful in their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in the summer. The 59-year-old feels the Frenchman's arrival will be the "best thing" to happen to La Liga, as it will increase the profile of the Spain's top division.

Mbappe has just under four months remaining on his current contract with Paris Saint-Germain and is yet to accept their offer of a new deal. The former AS Monaco forward is allowed to negotiate pre-contracts with clubs outside France, and Real have been hot on his trail since last summer.

Florentino Perez, the president of the Madrid giants, is desperate to bring the Frenchman to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real failed with a £145 million bid last summer, and have now made it a priority to land him on a free transfer at the end of the current season.

As per Tebas, Real will land their top target as he feels Mbappe will not sign an extension with PSG before the end of the current campaign. However, the president of La Liga clarified that he had no factual information regarding the transfer, but his prediction was based on the Frenchman's current contract situation.

"Madrid will get Mbappe and [Erling] Haaland as the others [Barcelona and Juventus] are half [financially] ruined," Tebas said, as quoted by ESPN. "That Mbappe comes is great news for LaLiga. It would be a joy for LaLiga. It's the best thing that could happen to LaLiga."

"I have no information regarding Mbappe," Tebas added. "But I've seen few cases of players who have six months left on their contracts that have not renewed their contracts and then went on to continue at the club."

Mbappe had reportedly agreed a mega deal to join Real in the summer, but the PSG forward denied that he had already reached an agreement with the Spanish club. He is expected to wait until the end of the season before assessing his options and making a decision on his future.

Haaland, on the other hand, has been linked with a number of clubs across Europe's top five leagues. Barcelona have made him a priority target, while Real, Manchester City and Manchester United have been credited with interest as well.

However, Tebas feels Barcelona do not have a chance to sign the £64 million-rated forward owing to their financial troubles. The Catalan outfit are struggling to offload players and reduce their over-inflated wage bill, but have still been active in the transfer market by bringing in four players in January.

Mino Raiola, Haaland's agent, has held a number of meetings with Barcelona president Joan Laporta. He even suggested that his client could remain with Borussia Dortmund for one more season before joining the Catalan giants in 2023, when their financial situation improves.