Why Real Madrid don't need to sign Mbappe in January

Stefan Bienkowski

• 12 Nov 2021 18:28 GMT
• 7 min read

While most of Europe’s top clubs will have an array of transfer targets to consider in the January transfer window, Real Madrid will once again narrow their focus on a single player: Kylian Mbappe.

After a failed attempt to sign the French striker in the summer window, the Spanish giants are reportedly keen on taking another crack at the whip in the forthcoming transfer window.

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But why are Madrid so impatiently chasing Mbappe when they know they can sign him for free just six months later?

Madrid have no problems scoring goals

While there may be a fair argument to be made in suggesting that any team would immediately get better with Mbappe in it, Madrid are certainly not in any great need of a new striker.

In the club’s first 12 games of the La Liga season, Ancelotti’s side have bagged no less than 28 goals. Which works out at 2.33 goals per game and far more than any other team in the division.

Indeed, not only is Karim Benzema the league’s top goalscorer with 10 goals, but he’s also the league’s top assist creator too. And in many ways the French striker is currently one of the most in-form goal scorers in Europe at the moment.

Add to that the renewed form of Vinicius Junior, who has nine goals and seven assists in 16 games for Madrid this season, and you’re looking at a team that really doesn’t need to spend a fortune on a new striker in January.

He would still cost a fortune

Although Mbappe’s contract is set to expire in January and Madrid will be able to offer the player a deal then, the striker would still cost a remarkable amount of money to sign if Madrid wanted him mid-way through the season.

As things currently stand, Mbappe is still valued at €153 million and there’s little doubt that PSG would do everything in their power to ensure the process of their star striker leaving to join Madrid will be as drawn out and as painful as possible.

Indeed, the Parisian side would likely reject any offer for Mbappe in January and if they did eventually agree on a fee it would still be a remarkable sum of money that Madrid could simply spend on other positions while they wait on the player to arrive for free six months later.