Man Utd, Liverpool learn when Kylian Mbappe bidding will start, as Real Madrid set deadline and ponder Prem signing

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have all discovered when the bidding for Kylian Mbappe will begin, with Real Madrid reportedly planning to start talks with the France captain on January 1.

Mbappe angered Paris Saint-Germain in the summer by revealing he would not be extending his contract with the club, with his current deal set to expire in June 2024. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reacted angrily to this decision, banishing Mbappe from the first team.

Al-Khelaifi was under the impression that the forward wanted to run down his contract before joining Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season. This is something he believes simply cannot happen, given Mbappe’s colossal transfer value and the fact he is arguably the best player in the world.

The 24-year-old soon returned to the PSG senior squad after face-to-face talks with Al-Khelaifi. It was thought that Mbappe had agreed to extend his PSG contract until summer 2025 to protect his transfer value, though he wanted to include a clause to ensure that he could leave if a major bid comes in next summer.

Despite an apparent agreement between the player and PSG, that contract has yet to materialise. As such, there is still the prospect of Mbappe securing a free transfer next summer.

Madrid are once again frontrunners for the goal machine. However, they are proceeding with caution, having been snubbed by him on several occasions in the past.

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Should Madrid fail to snare Mbappe yet again, then English giants Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea will all tussle to snap him up.

Out of those four clubs, it is most likely Liverpool will win the chase. That is because Mbappe’s mother supports the Reds, while the player himself has a good relationship with manager Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool, Man Utd and Real Madrid all vying for Mbappe

On November 29, sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that Liverpool ‘would love’ to sign the World Cup winner, though they would have to sell Mo Salah first to afford his huge wage demands.

Spanish source AS have now provided an update on Mbappe’s situation. They state that Madrid president Florentino Perez has decided he will begin talks Mbappe’s camp as soon as the transfer window reopens on January 1.

Under the Bosman ruling, Madrid will be able to strike a pre-contract agreement with Mbappe from that date, ahead of him potentially joining them six months down the line.

Although, Madrid have also given the former Monaco ace a second deadline of January 15. If he has not accepted their contract offer by then, a transfer will be ripped up.

Madrid chiefs feel that is more than enough time for Mbappe to decide whether he wants to leave PSG for a new adventure in Spain.

Should Mbappe either take too long to respond or opt to stay in Ligue 1, then Madrid have landed on Manchester City striker Erling Haaland as their ‘Plan B’.

Haaland is one of a select few players – if not the only one – who can keep up with Mbappe’s brilliant goalscoring exploits. Madrid feel the Norwegian can be a perfect heir to the throne left by Karim Benzema.

Los Blancos also feel Haaland would be delighted to reunite with Jude Bellingham at the Bernabeu. After all, the pair struck up a great partnership at Borussia Dortmund.

Madrid are clearly in the strongest position to sign Mbappe, but if they end up pursuing Haaland instead, then this will open the door for the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal to complete a gigantic coup.

Meanwhile, Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk includes Liverpool pushing to sign a new target from Inter Milan.