Kylian Mbappé may have had a complicated start at Real Madrid, to say the least, but he nonetheless made his dream come true by joining the Merengue club. A dream which nevertheless took a long time to come true for the striker of the French team, who hoped to sign with the Madrid giant in 2022. But that was without counting on the persuasive force of the leaders of PSG, who forced the Bondynois to continue the adventure with the Rouge et Bleu.
But to extend, Kylian Mbappé was offered a disproportionate contract. A challenge for Leonardo, former sporting director of the club, who claims to have always opposed this extension at a high price. “I was against it, at the level that was done. Always. From the beginning, assured the former midfielder in an interview with Figaro. Focusing so much investment on one person was a bit much, in my opinion. My position was clear on this subject. No one should be above everything. Especially not from the institution and the club. »
“Kylian Mbappé was to be sold at the end of the 2020-2021 season”
According to him, Leonardo was even in favor of his departure in the summer of 2021 when Real Madrid tried to recruit him with an offer of 200 million euros in the last days of the summer transfer window. “I even think he was supposed to be sold at the end of the 2020-2021 season, when PSG had an offer from Real Madrid and he only had one year left on his contract”he said.
“ How is it manageable afterwards? If you lose a player, it’s annoying, but the club is not going to die, he insisted. What great institution collapsed by losing a player? None. It may take a while, but you always get back up. I was a player, but nothing can ever be more important than a club. »