Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid have been going at each other since 2019. When reports first came out of the Spanish club being interested in Mbappe, it wasn’t surprising; the best of players always end up at Real Madrid. But Mbappe’s transfer hasn’t materialised yet.
However, there seem to be new developments in this saga, as Mbappe has shown inclinations toward choosing Madrid over PSG, especially with PSG entering looking for a potential replacement for Mbappe.
PSG pinpoint potential Kylian Mbappe replacement
If Mbappe does leave Paris Saint-Germain, then Real Madrid seems the most likely destination. That would leave PSG with a massive hole to fill in. Consequently, PSG’s search for replacing Mbappe has apparently begun, as the French club has already identified AC Milan’s lively winger Rafael Leao as Kylian Mbappe’s replacement.
There were reports linking Leao to PSG previous summer as well, which were quickly subsided as Mbappe signed a contract extension that kept him at the club for another year, netting him €80 million in loyalty fees. If Mbappe is to depart, then Leao would be the right man to carry out the unenviable job of filling the void.
That being said, acquiring Leao would not be an easy task, as not only is he very passionate about his current club, but also his current contract runs until 2028 that a release clause of €175 million.
Comparing Kylian Mbappe’s season so far to that of Rafael Leao
Perhaps the first comparison between Mbappe and Leao would be their positions. Both players play as left-wingers for their respective teams, PSG and AC Milan and both are as lethal as they are creative. Let us take a look at their numbers this season at Transfermarkt.
As of this season, Rafael Leao has made a total of 26 appearances, of which 19 are in Seria A and 5 in the Champions League. In those 26 games, Leao has managed to score six goals, with three in the league, two in the Italian Cup and a sole goal in the Champions League. He has also managed to get six assists, all in the Italian League.
His goal in the Champions League co-incidentally came against PSG, as the clubs were drawn in a “group of death” with Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund.
Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, has been far more prolific than Leao. Mbappe has 26 appearances as well this season, with 17 in the league, 6 in the UCL and 2 in the Coupe de France. He has scored a total of 28 goals and provided 6 assists in these games, with 19 goals and 3 assists in Ligue 1, 3 goals in the UCL and 5 goals in the French Cup.
Do you think Rafael Leao would be a good replacement for Kylian Mbappe? Let us know in the comments below!
