EXCL: Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid on HUGE signing-on fee, PSG closing in on new striker, thoughts on Chelsea's French talents, and more

Our man in France with the latest Ligue 1 transfer news.

Real Madrid more likely than Liverpool for Kylian Mbappe

There have been surprise reports of Liverpool possibly doing a loan deal for Kylian Mbappe, while it’s also been suggested that other clubs could try similar. However, I do not think that any sort of loan deal for Mbappe is realistic this summer. Although it would solve the French superstar's playing time issues, it would put PSG in an extremely precarious position regarding a potential fee before his contract expires.

The only way that I could see such a possibility even being entertained is if there was an obligation to buy him before next summer which makes little to no sense for Liverpool in this potential scenario. In any case, the belief in Paris remains the same and that is that Mbappe and Real Madrid have an agreement for the summer of 2024 in a deal with a signing on fee as high as €160m.

Jurgen Klopp recently laughed off Mbappe to Liverpool speculation and I can see why - there are just too many moving parts. As fellow columnist Neil Jones has written here, much of the Mbappe to Liverpool talk down the years has been mainly fan-led, without any real substance to it beyond that.