The rush to recruit Kylian Mbappe is on, since he has declared he will leave PSG this summer. Would Manchester United consider trading three prominent players for the World Cup winner?
The three players Andy Goldstein would give up at Manchester United in order to sign Kylian Mbappe have been made public.
After months of speculation and talk about his future, attacker Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain has informed the team that he would be departing this summer. Since the World Cup winner’s current contract is set to expire in just four months, numerous teams are reportedly showing interest in signing the France international.
Despite Real Madrid being the clear favorite to sign Mbappe, INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford concluded that Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United were among the Premier League teams associated with the player. The INEOS CEO was asked if he thought Mbappe would sign with Real Madrid when he left Old Trafford earlier this week, and his answer was pretty much what was expected of him: “I think he’s got his heart set on going to Real Madrid.”
Even though he was joking, United’s acceptance that Mbappe may join them on a move can at least be taken into consideration as a possibility, albeit remote, until the player or Erik ten Hag rules it out. Top teams need to put themselves in the running to sign Mbappe, as demonstrated by Mikel Arteta’s remarks regarding the 25-year-old joining Arsenal.
With Mbappe’s exit from France grabbing headlines, Goldstein and Darren Bent talked about which players from the Premier League’s “big six” they would let go in order to recruit the two-time World Cup finalist on talkSPORT on YouTube. Goldstein, a United supporter, readily acknowledged that he would accept Mbappe at Old Trafford regardless of the loss of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. However, Bent had to think twice before trading Mbappe for a trio of Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Alejandro Garnacho, calling them all “genius” players and saying, “You can’t give up three geniuses for one.”
Goldstein was struck by the dilemma and said, “I’d have no one on the left.” Bent then recommended that Mbappe play that role and Rasmus Hojlund play in the middle, which won Goldstein over. However, Goldstein then raised another issue: “Who would be in the holding role?” “[Scott] McTominay alongside Casemiro… yeah give me the paperwork, I’ve got Mbappe!”
Even if Mainoo seems to be United’s midfield future, Casemiro and McTominay’s continued presence at the team seems sufficient to ensure Mbappe’s arrival in Manchester. Rashford and Garnacho are both assessed at €100 million (£85 million) by CIES Football Observatory, while Mainoo is valued at a startlingly low €20 million (£17 million). However, that worth is expected to rise over the next few seasons.
