Real Madrid prepared to smash world-record transfer fee for Ligue 1 star

Real Madrid are prepared to make PSG forward Kylian Mbappe the most expensive player of all time, according to France Football.

Zinedine Zidane returned as Madrid manager earlier this month and has been handed a sizeable war chest to overhaul his squad at the Bernabeu.

Los Blancos have been linked with a host of players in recent weeks, including Liverpool's Sadio Mane, but France Football claim that Mbappe is Zidane's number one target.

The World Cup winner moved to PSG from Monaco for £166m in 2017, and has scored 31 goals in 35 appearances for Thomas Tuchel's side this season.

Madrid have apparently been so impressed by the 20-year-old's rise that they are prepared to pay £240m for his services this summer.

That would smash the world-record transfer fee currently belonging to Neymar, Mbappe's team-mate at PSG.

The Brazilian moved to the Parc des Princes for £198m two years ago and has frequently been linked with Madrid ever since, although the Spanish giants now seem to have turned their attention towards his younger club colleague.

France Football also report that Gareth Bale's time at Madrid is set to come to an end in the summer, with Zidane hoping to generate around £85m from his sale to a Premier League club.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).