Kylian Mbappe refuses to kill off Real Madrid talk and classifies his relationship with Neymar
Kylian Mbappe has refused to rule out a future move to Real Madrid after attempting to play down reports of a feud between himself and Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar.
The pair have started the season on fire in Ligue 1, shooting PSG to five wins from their first six games. It has been their goal tally though that has been most impressive from Christophe Galtier’s men. They have scored 24 times, with 14 of those coming from the star duo.
Both attackers have chipped in with seven goals apiece, while Neymar has also provided six assists. And on the face of it all looks good at the Parc de Princes.
However, in the August clash with Montpellier it was obvious there was tension between the pair. PSG reportedly called a crisis meeting to clear the air in the aftermath.
L’Equipe claimed the two strikers would meet up to try and move on after an on-pitch disagreement in the 5-2 win.
Mbappe saw his penalty saved in the win over Montpellier. PSG were then awarded a second penalty shortly afterwards which Mbappe wanted to take, only for Neymar to convert.
Friction
The France striker was then seen throwing his hands in the air when Vitinha opted to pass to Messi instead of Mbappe. It was a reaction which prompted plenty of criticism from the fans.
And to make matters worse Neymar later ‘liked’ a series of tweets poking fun at Mbappe’s penalty-taking.
Sergio Ramos reportedly had to separate the pair in the dressing room after the match. And speaking ahead of PSG’s Champions League clash with Juventus, Mbappe revealed the duo have their ups and downs.
“To talk about Neymar, this is the sixth year. I think we’ve always had a relationship like this based on respect,” Mbappe said.
“But we’ve always had moments like this where sometimes we’ve had moments that were a bit colder and moments that were a bit hotter.
“There are times, you’ll see, when we’re the best of friends and sometimes we don’t talk so much. It’s the nature of our relationship that’s like that.
‘Respect’ is buzz word
“But there is a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for the player he is, the player he represents and the importance he has in our team.
“Afterwards, when you have two players with a strong character like that, life is not linear, it’s sure that sometimes things happen but it always remains in the respect and in the interest of PSG.”
Asked about the penalty situation at PSG and who would take the next one, Mbappe said: “We’ll see, we’ll see, there’s always a discussion, we have to see how it goes during the match.
“I think we’re not both closed [to discuss it]. If the match makes it Neymar who shoots, it will be Neymar who shoots, if the match makes it me who shoots, it will be me who shoots. There’s no problem on that.
“Number one doesn’t mean that you take all the penalties. I don’t think that exists in any club, even less when you play with three players like that.
“You have to know how to share the cake and feel. It’s a question of feeling, and also know how to put water in your wine. We’ll see tomorrow but there’s no problem with that.”
Mbappe on Real Madrid link
A report in Spain even claimed Mbappe, who recently committed his future to PSG, asked for Neymar to be sold.
According to Spanish football journalist Diego Torres, writing for El Pais, Mbappe asked PSG to sell the Brazilian. That of course was never verified but it was Mbappe who looked destined to leave this summer.
With his contract running down, Real Madrid were expected to land the player. But Mbappe surprised everyone by signing a new three-year deal to make him “the most powerful figure” at the club, as per The Guardian.
Despite the new deal, he was still guarded over a future move to the Bernabeu.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Mbappe said to the New York Times.
“You’ve never been there, but it seems like it’s like your house, or something like this,” he further added.
