13 June 2023 , 09:58
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Kylian Mbappe looks set to leave PSG for Real Madrid, but he will face a tough decision if he arrives at the Bernabeu.
The superstar attacker has informed the Ligue 1 champions that he will not sign a new contract and will look to depart on a free transfer next summer. But rather than allow him to go for nothing, PSG will seek to sell him in this window, with Madrid the frontrunners.
Los Blancos have long seen Mbappe as the natural heir to their history of Galacticos and with Karim Benzema having left, they will target a move for the Frenchman. Mbappe has frequently spoken of his desire to follow in the footsteps of Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was handed the No. 7 shirt after joining from Manchester United back in 2009. Mbappe had been keen to take on the job of continuing his legacy in that jersey, but that is now unlikely to happen.
That is because Madrid decided to hand that shirt number to Vinicius on Monday following the Brazilian's stand-out season. With that number unavailable, Mbappe will have to look at alternatives, with a range of options currently free.
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The first of those is the No. 9 shirt, recently vacated by Benzema, who is moving to Saudi Arabia. Benzema held the shirt for 13 years, with legends such as Ronaldo Nazario and Hugo Sanchez also having possessed it.
The next available option is 14, which has been vacant since Casemiro joined Manchester United last summer. That jersey has previously been worn by the likes of Xabi Alonso, Guti and Raul.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Which number should Kylian Mbappe take if he moves to Real Madrid? Comment below.
Vinicius Junior has taken the number 7 shirt at Madrid (Europa Press via Getty Images)No. 11 had been an option following Marco Asensio's exit but that was handed to Rodrygo on Monday. Mbappe could take the No.21 jersey the winger vacated, with that having previously been owned by Martin Odegaard and Santiago Solari.
Finally, in terms of immediately available numbers, every shirt above 25 is free for Mbappe to take. Of course, he could do a deal to take hold of either No.7 or even the No. 5 shirt, previously worn by Zinedine Zidane.
That jersey is currently Jesus Vallejo's, though he is yet to make his debut for the in LaLiga and could be shifted to allow Mbappe to continue Zidane's legacy. The fact he will not be able to wear the No.7 shirt and follow Ronaldo will be frustrating to Mbappe.
The striker’s father has previously admitted that Ronaldo was among Mbappe’s heroes in the game. Speaking in 2016, he said: "He [Mbappe] is a Real Madrid fan and his idol is Cristiano Ronaldo. He used to spend hours watching videos [of Ronaldo] on the internet."
That was a claim that was backed up by Mbappe’s former teammate Abdou Diallo. He previously suggested that the striker was under no illusions about who was better.
Speaking in December, the defender said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is literally everything to Kylian Mbappe. If you mention Lionel Messi against Cristiano, Mbappe will debate with you for at least an hour. For him, Cristiano is untouchable."