Real Madrid set to use highly rated Brazilian as bait in bid to fund Kylian Mbappe pursuit

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to be willing to’sacrifice’ Vinicius Junior to fund a summer move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

Vinicius joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in July 2018 and has since established himself as an important player for the Spanish giants, scoring 54 goals and registering 52 assists in 208 appearances across all competitions.

The 22-year-old is currently Real’s joint-top scorer this season along with Karim Benzema, netting 18 goals in 38 games, and manager Carlo Ancelotti recently labelled the Brazilian as the “most influential player in world football”.

Speaking to reporters after Vinicius bagged a brace in Los Blancos’ 5-2 Champions League win over Liverpool last month, Ancelotti said: “Right now he’s the most influential player in world football. No other player is as consistent as he is. He does not stop and continues. I hope he can keep going like this.”

However, speculation about the winger’s long-term future in Madrid has begun, as he has less than 16 months left on his current contract.

Real president Perez is ‘doing everything possible’ to tie Vinicius down to a new long-term contract at the club, according to Spanish news outlet El Desmarque, and is confident that an agreement can be reached between both parties soon.

However, the report adds that contract negotiations are ‘causing significant headaches’ for the Los Blancos hierarchy, and there are reports that members of the first-team dressing room are unhappy with the winger’s behaviour.

Such concerns have reportedly prompted Perez to consider’sacrificing’ Vinicius and recouping a large transfer fee for the winger this summer, rather than allowing him to leave for free when his contract expires in June 2024, and a potential sale could see Real Madrid step up their pursuit of long-term target Mbappe.

Mbappe, 24, was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid last summer before signing a contract extension with PSG until 2024, with a one-year extension option.

Nonetheless, the Frenchman is still being linked with a move away from Parc des Princes, and he allegedly has only four months left to trigger the one-year extension clause in his contract, which would keep him at the club until June 2025.

Mbappe has had another productive season in front of goal for PSG, netting 30 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions, including 18 strikes in 22 Ligue 1 matches – at least two more than any other player in the division.

Mbappe recently became PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer, with his latest strike in the 4-2 win over Nantes bringing his total to 201 in 248 appearances since joining from Monaco in 2017.

Manchester United, along with Real Madrid, have been linked with Mbappe, but the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner has stated that he is “very happy” to play for PSG.

“It’s a privilege for me to play here,” the forward told reporters last weekend. I’m from Paris, so being at PSG is special to me. I arrived when I was young, and I’ve grown and matured a lot since then, both on and off the pitch.

“I don’t think so – if I tied my future to the Champions League, I would have gone very far [away]!” I’m here and I’m very happy, and for the time being, all I’m thinking about is making PSG happy.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been linked with a summer move for Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland, with one report claiming that they are’seriously considering an audacious approach’ for the Premier League’s current top scorer.