Toni Kroos has dropped a hint Kylian Mbappe could be heading to Real Madrid while discussing Lionel Messi’s Barcelona exit potentially weakening his club’s rivals.
Messi’s career at Camp Nou came to an end at the start of the month when Barcelona announced that they were unable to re-sign the player due to their struggle to get below La Liga’s current wage limit.
PSG swooped in to sign Messi on a free transfer, but it has been suggested that they could lose Mbappe, who has yet to reach an agreement with the Ligue 1 club over a contract extension.
Kroos can now see Mbappe making his way to Real Madrid, as he believes that Messi’s move to Parc des Princes could end up working in the Blancos’ favour in a number of ways.
“We’ll see how it all works out (Messi to PSG). Maybe the move is good for us because our biggest competitor has lost their best player,” the German star said while talking to his brother on their joint podcast Einfach mal luppen.
“And maybe even more good things will come out of it as a result. Maybe [a player] from Paris joins us… If that (Mbappe joining Madrid) should actually happen – I don’t know – this whole Messi deal would certainly not be a disadvantage for us.”
Mbappe has only entered the last year of his contract at PSG, and it has been reported that Real will wait until next summer before swooping for his signature.
But, Parc des Princes president Nasser Al-Khelaifi made it clear that he expects the France international to stay put after Messi’s unveiling in Paris.
“The future of Mbappe? I think everyone knows. His future is clear. He said it himself, he wanted us to have a competitive team,” he said. “Well, we have the most competitive in the world right now. So there is no excuse for him now. He can’t do anything else but stay.”
Kroos went on to speak on the debate over who is the greatest player of all time, choosing Cristiano Ronaldo, who now plays for Juventus, over Messi.
“From my playing days, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo (best player of all time),” said the Blancos midfielder. “Of course I’m biased because he made a decisive contribution to us winning a lot of titles. It was exciting and impressive (to play alongside Ronaldo).
“We were not only team-mates, but also neighbours in the dressing room and neighbours in private. He lived right next to me. Seeing what a perfectionist he is was impressive.
“That is why it is forbidden for me to name Messi (as the best player of all time).”
