Los Blancos saw multiple major offers for the latter rejected by Paris Saint-Germain this summer, despite the fact the France international enters free agency next year with no new deal in place.
Real Madrid have not lost money
Real Madrid have enough money to purchase both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe if they so choose, claims La Liga president Javier Tebas, who further cautioned that the current operation of the transfer market is sending the game “backwards”. Los Blancos saw multiple major offers for the latter rejected by Paris Saint-Germain this summer, despite the fact the France international enters free agency next year with no new deal in place. Now, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been tipped to swoop for Mbappe once more, alongside Borussia Dortmund star Haaland with another significant transfer – and Tebas believes that the club can afford a double deal while further blasting Ligue 1’s transfer regulations. “They have sold €200 million worth of players,” Tebas told reporters. “They have enough money to sign both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland together. They have not lost money. On top of that, they have sold assets.”
The clubs prefer to win the Champions League and lose a billion euros
“What is not understandable is that someone who loses €400 million is spending €500 million on wages and can still reject offers like the one for Mbappe. The rules in France are failing; they are hurting the European market. The UEFA system is wrong. We are going backwards from the way it should be. Investors must be brought in, but not with unlimited contributions and constant losses. This would not be allowed in another sector. They prefer to win the Champions League and lose a billion euros. That way, they keep their fans happy because they have won the Champions League, but you have ruined football. It’s very dangerous.”
The 59-year-old’s comments come following a summer that saw La Liga lose its most prized player asset to PSG in the shape of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, among financial struggles for several top-flight Spanish clubs. Conversely, their rivals abroad have mainly strengthened their squads with several big-money moves, either in transfer fees or wages, with PSG, in particular, assembling a fearsome slate, including Madrid’s former captain Sergio Ramos. Tebas’ words suggest a sharper rebuttal of the way cash-rich clubs at the top of the sport are pricing competitors out of the market – and how questions remain over just how many will be able to compete with the super-rich in years to come.