EXCLUSIVE: Real Madrid face internal war as Osimhen emerges as Mbappe alternative

Steve Kay

• Updated: 12 Jan 2024 16:02 GMT
• 9 min read

Exclusive

Kylian Mbappe is causing an internal war at Real Madrid, with senior figures in the club of the belief that Los Blancos should not be pursuing the PSG attacker, FootballTransfers understands.

Out of contract at the end of the season, Mbappe will be available as free agent if he does not sign a new deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.

He has been constantly linked with a move to Los Blancos for years, with Real Madrid the main competition in 2017 when PSG signed him from Monaco.

Moreover, his admiration of Cristiano Ronaldo as a youngster has led him to be an admirer of the Bernabeu side, yet Mbappe’s dream of playing in the club’s famous white strip could be dashed.

Some of the more experienced figures in the Real Madrid boardroom are against signing Mbappe.

FootballTransfers has been told by a well-connected source that “the more mature and wise people at Madrid” believe that Napoli striker Victor Osimhen represents a better bet for the club.

Osimhen before Mbappe at Real Madrid?

There is a feeling that Osimhen is a player closer in style to Karim Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or in his final season at the club before completing a surprise move to the Saudi Pro League when his contract expired last summer.

Further to that, Osimhen is more suited to the way in which Real Madrid play football and the profile of the club than Mbappe, who teased Los Blancos 18 months ago with a potential free transfer before signing a new contract with PSG.

These senior figures in the Bernabeu believe that the money that would have been spent on Mbappe, who commands a huge wage and massive potential signing bonuses that likely surpass most transfer fees Real Madrid have ever paid, would be better being poured into a deal for Osimhen.

Benzema and Osimhen's style compared

The Nigeria international is set to be one of the main protagonists of the summer transfer window, although Chelsea are considering pre-empting a deal in January due to the ongoing struggles of the team.

Osimhen, though, is definitely in the transfer picture at Real Madrid.