Real Madrid target BARGAIN Mbappe teammate as Kroos replacement

Suraj Radia

• 27 Jun 2024 16:30 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid will look to kick off the Kylian Mbappe era by reportedly targeting one of his international teammates to replace Toni Kroos this summer.

Kroos will retire from football after the European Championships after ten years at Real, where he established himself as one of the finest midfielders of his generation, making more than 400 appearances and winning 22 trophies.

The German’s departure will undoubtedly leave a huge hole in Carlo Ancelotti’s side, despite having huge depth of quality in midfield through players such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and the evergreen Luka Modric.

READ MORE: Latest Real Madrid transfer news

And Real appear to be doing their best to bed in Mbappe after he finally completed his long-awaited transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, with Tuttosport via SPORT claiming that Nice’s Khephren Thuram could be lined up as a Kroos replacement.

Thuram looks set to leave Nice this summer as he enters the final 12 months of his contract, and Juventus were hoping to close a deal for the 23-year-old worth around €20 million.

However, Real’s interest could pose a serious threat for the Italian giants, with Thuram likely to be open to any approach from the Champions League winners despite being deep in talks with Juve.

Real ready to hijack Juve transfer for Thuram

Thuram has long-been linked with a move from Nice, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool having chased the Frenchman for a number of years, however no sides ever met the Ligue 1 side’s asking price.

The son of Juventus legend Lilian, Thuram has established himself as one of the standout deep-lying midfielders in France since joining Nice from Monaco in 2019.

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STATS

Khéphren Thuram

DM (RL), M (C)

Nice

Khéphren Thuram

DM (RL), M (C)

Nice

Ligue 1

2023/24

• 27

  Games

• 1

  Goals

• 1

  Assists

View all stats

Juve had felt they were in pole position to sign Thuram, particularly given his father’s links to the club, but Real will undoubtedly tempt the 6 foot 4 inch midfielder despite the heavy competition for minutes in that role.

Thuram only has one cap for the French national team but is expected to be part of the Olympic squad for the upcoming tournament, which is due to be held in Paris this summer.