If you are confident that Real Madrid will sign Kylian Mbappe, think again – Pep Guardiola has just re-thrown Man City’s hat in the race for the teenage sensation. The Spanish manager spoke ahead of their International Champions Cup clash with Los Blancos, hinting that they are ready to challenge the Champions League holders for the Monaco attacker.
The race for the French starlet appeared to be over. Marca claimed that Zidane’s side had already agreed a deal with the Ligue 1 champions worth €180m, but the Monaco quickly denied those rumors.
The Citizens have already spent big in the transfer window, twice breaking the record for most expensive defender for Kyle Walker and the Benjamin Mendy. The Premier League giants are yet to add new additions to their attack, with Pep hinting that Mbappe could be on their radar.
"The player is still at Monaco - still on that team," Pep said (as per the Independent). "Anything can happen - we are still looking at a lot of other players, but he is still on that team."
"We have the two exceptional forwards in Gabriel (Jesus) and Sergio (Aguero). We will see. The market finishes on August 31, which is not good for the managers.
"The competition (Premier League) starts on the 12th (of August) and the market is still open. That is not good for all the clubs. We will see until the end of the transfer window."
There is also the notion of money. Los Blancos have not spent as much this summer as Man City. Furthermore, the sale of Alvaro Morata has raised substantial funds which could be put to use for Mbappe.
However, Guardiola brushed aside the idea of being financially inferior to the Champions League holders, saying:
"Madrid doesn't have more than Manchester City has. There's a lot of teams that are playing in the Champions League that are in the Premier League.”
Nonetheless, a lot is working against Man City. There is the player’s preference – he reportedly favors a Santiago Bernabeu move – and the fact that Zidane can offer Bale in the deal.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Manchester City 4 - 1 Real Madrid
July 26, 2017 11:00pmLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CAThis match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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