According to Marca journalist Mario Cortagena, Kylian Mbappe is ready to quit Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window after his relationship with the French club has broken down. The question now if he was to leave - where would he end up?
Many Manchester United fans would like to believe that their club still has the pull to attract a player like Mbappe, but the more realistic percentage of the fanbase knows that bringing the Ballon d'Or contender to Old Trafford is unlikely. A resumption of the player's transfer saga with Real Madrid is more likely.
Mbappe was linked with Madrid throughout last season and many expected him to move to the Bernabeu on a free transfer before he re-signed with PSG. The Parisiens say they have no intention of selling Mbappe, with the club calling the Marca story "totally untrue" and "utter nonsense".
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But even if United don't have a chance of signing Mbappe, he could help them sign another one of their major targets.
United are reported to be one of a number of clubs interested in signing Jude Bellingham in the summer. The club were interested in bringing him to Old Trafford while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still manager, but the player ultimately decided to move to Borussia Dortmund as the German club could give him regular game time.
Since his move to Dortmund, he has thrived as a box-to-box midfielder. One of his more notable performances came against Manchester City in the Champions League last season where he scored and had another goal ruled out in dubious circumstances.
However, reports in Spain have linked Madrid with a move for the 19-year-old midfielder in the summer, but if they are trying to fund a move for Mbappe, they may need to sacrifice a move for Bellingham in the process, giving United and others more of a chance of signing the England international.
United will still need to come a long way to make itself an attractive destination for Bellingham, although Erik ten Hag is helping them move in the right direction. Champions League football will likely be a necessity if they want to convince Bellingham to move to Old Trafford.
This is a transfer saga that is likely to develop throughout the season, but if Madrid are taken out of the game by a move for Mbappe, Premier League clubs will have a much greater chance of landing the 19-year-old who could become English football's next big star.
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