Huge Kylian Mbappe twist, with Liverpool battling Italian giants for PSG ace after Real Madrid find alternative

It is no longer guaranteed that Kylian Mbappe will sign for Real Madrid next year, as the Spanish giants are interested in a different attacker while Liverpool are rivalling Inter for the Paris Saint-Germain star, according to reports.

Mbappe has long been linked with Madrid. It has been widely reported that he wants to sign for Los Blancos in order to emulate his hero Cristiano Ronaldo. Heading to Madrid would also give Mbappe the best chance of winning his first Ballon d’Or, a trophy he craves.

Madrid president Florentino Perez has repeatedly made approaches to try and snare the forward, but has been left frustrated each time.

Mbappe’s current contract with PSG expires at the end of the season. PSG are determined not to lose him on a free though, and this could see the France captain extend his deal at the Parc des Princes to protect his transfer value. Although, Mbappe will only do this if he gets assurances he can leave, should an appropriate bid come in.

Plenty of reports have put Madrid at the front of the queue to snap Mbappe up next summer, whether it be on a free transfer or in a big-money deal.

However, on Sunday it emerged that Madrid could instead swerve their attention towards Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, who is also on the radars of Liverpool and Manchester City.

READ MORE: Klopp muscled out as Newcastle close on deal for big-money Liverpool target seen as Tonali replacement

Of course, Musiala is a far different kind of attacker to Mbappe, but he would still have a brilliant impact on the Madrid team.

Madrid have also publicly announced that they are not in negotiations to sign Mbappe from PSG, despite journalists claiming that to be the case.

Liverpool, Inter both in mix for Kylian Mbappe – reports

As a Madrid swoop for Mbappe now looks less likely, Liverpool could march in and bring him to the Premier League instead. On Friday, French newspaper L’Equipe stated that Liverpool have ‘never broken contact’ with the 24-year-old’s camp. Jurgen Klopp’s side have maintained an interest in him since 2017.

While Liverpool may not face competition from Madrid for Mbappe, they will likely have to deal with a rival offer from Italian giants Inter.

That is because Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus has namechecked Mbappe as a potential target when discussing his plans to buy Inter from current owners the Zhang family.

“Our investors are financial investors who are not part of the football world. We are convinced that we can become, as Inter, an even bigger club than now. This is not a criticism of the current club, who have great management and a great coach,” Zilliacus said an interview with TV Play (via Calciomercato and Football Italia).

“Our goal would be to grow, with this new ownership we would like to specialise in the creation of services for fans around the world as well, with the intention of increasing revenues and then going on to have greater strength in the market.

“The consequence of all this would then be the possibility of buying top players and, in general, improving an already strong team. Mbappe, for example, wouldn’t be just a dream.

“The idea would be to gradually strengthen an already quality line-up to compete, every year, for both the Scudetto and the Champions League.”

Zilliacus added that he wants to use a ‘sustainable model’ at Inter, though his ultimate goal is to make the Nerazzurri ‘the greatest team in the world’. Signing Mbappe would certainly made a big statement on the world stage.

Liverpool do not have the finances to match the likes of City or PSG in battles for the world’s most expensive stars. Although, if Mo Salah leaves at the end of the campaign, then this could help to fund an ambitious push for Mbappe.

As Inter’s approach for Mbappe is dependent on Zilliacus completing a takeover, Klopp might have some confidence that Liverpool can pull off a shock and take the lethal striker to Anfield.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk understands Liverpool and Newcastle United will now face competition from Juventus for a Premier League signing.