How Real Madrid will line up with Kylian Mbappe

Updated: 10 May 2024 16:01 CDT
4 min read

Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid, lineup — © IMAGO

Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe is out of contract with PSG at the end of the season, making him about the most desirable free agent in world football, and Real Madrid are at the front of the queue to sign him.

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The 14-time European champions thought they had signed the French World Cup winner in 2022 before he U-turned to sign a record-breaking new deal at PSG, but this time will be different.

The 25-year-old has now officially announced that he will depart the Parc des Princes when his contract expires this summer. As a result, his move to Real Madrid is close to being officially announced.

So, how will Los Blancos line up with the French superstar in their ranks?

Real Madrid with Mbappe next season?

Carlo Ancelotti has extended his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, quelling speculation that he was set to become the next Brazil manager, so there should be some consistency in Real's play.

Although he won the La Liga and Champions League double with a 4-3-3 in 2022, Karim Benzema's departure to Saudi Arabia left a gap in attack that the Italian filled in a novel way: he tweaked his system to a 4-3-1-2 and gave Jude Bellingham - a €103 million summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund - pride of place.

The results have been incredible, with the young Englishman contributing massively to Los Blancos' success this season. It could be a case of not fixing something that isn't broken, and with Mbappe, they wouldn't need to.

Up ahead of Bellingham this season have been Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo - both wingers by trade - and the latter in particular has complained about being played more centrally.

Mbappe himself isn't particularly fond of playing as a centre-forward, having complained about being the main target man at PSG last season, taking to Instagram using the ironic hashtag #pivotcrew. However, it looks as though that is where he will be used initially.

Elsewhere, Thibault Courtois will have returned from a torn cruciate ligament in time to reclaim his No.1 spot from Andriy Lunin, while Toni Kroos' age means Eduardo Camavinga could replace him in midfield more often.

Ferland Mendy is currently Real Madrid's starting left-back, but the Spanish giants are interested in strengthening that side of the field with Alphonso Davies. More recently, it has been claimed that Real will prioritise a centre-back signing, with Leny Yoro top of their shortlist. He could link up with Mbappe at the Bernabeu this summer.