The French talent was close to joining Real Madrid from Monaco in 2017.
Now former Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev has revealed the reason behind this failed move.
Kylian Mbappe plans to join Real Madrid after turning down the chance once during his time at Monaco, according to former vice-president Vadim Vasilyev. The France international initially moved to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on loan from rivals Monaco in 2017 before making the transfer permanent in a €145 million deal the following year.
Madrid were interested in Mbappe prior to the French sensation swapping Monaco for Paris, and the La Liga powerhouse continue to be linked with the 20-year-old forward. Vasilyev, who knows the 20-year-old well from their time together at Stade Louis II, revealed that the young Frenchman did not make the switch to Los Blancos back then, as he felt that was too early for him to leave his own home country in pursuit of new challenges elsewhere.
Speaking on Telefoot, he admitted that he would have rather sold Mbappe to Real Madrid than PSG, as it would eliminate further competition his team would face in the Ligue 1, from the highly-rated talent.
“Why did he not sign at Real? He told me: ‘Vadim, I think it’s too early, I’m Parisian, I do not want to leave my country like that, I want to become a great player here. Real Madrid will wait, that’s what I think’.
Vasilyev further believes the 2018 World Cup winner will eventually make the move to Madrid.
“I told him, ‘Kylian, you’re right’. He wants to win. And of course the Champions League must be won for a player like that. If he wins it with Paris, it is better.”
“Real Madrid will knock on your door. The entire Estadio Santiago Bernabeu will applaud you when you get there. He remains the same person, the same Kylian. It’s just that he has gained importance, power in the global landscape,” Vasilyev said.
“I know Cristiano Ronaldo quite well, and he always wants to break all records, go further. Kylian is the same.”
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