Real Madrid look set to be forced into an early test of their loyalty towards Vinicius Junior as they eye a move for Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has informed PSG that he will not be staying at the Parc des Princes beyond the end of next season. The France captain sent club chiefs at the Ligue 1 champions a letter confirming his decision, with PSG now open to selling him.
That will almost certainly draw in Madrid, who have been long-time admirers of the 24-year-old. With PSG desperate to bring in a fee for Mbappe, Los Blancos are likely to attempt to finally bring him to the Bernabeu this summer.
Madrid are looking to build a new team of superstars, with Karim Benzema departing and Jude Bellingham set to arrive. Benzema's exit has opened up a space in Carlo Ancelotti's squad up-front, with Mbappe now rising to the top of their shopping list.
But if Mbappe does arrive this summer, they'll be forced into an early decision that could frustrate their new superstar signing. He has held the number 7 shirt for much of his time at PSG.
But that number at Madrid has just been given to Vinicius, who enjoyed a statement season last term. Eden Hazard's exit means that the Brazilian will take on the iconic number, a move Madrid confirmed on Monday.
Vinicius previously wore the number 20 jersey but has now switched to Cristiano Ronaldo's former shirt. It is a number that Mbappe has long had his eye on though, with AS reporting it would have been his first choice.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Which shirt number should Kylian Mbappe take at Real Madrid? Comment below.
Instead, he will have to settle for an alternative, with the number 9 shirt the leading candidate following Benzema's departure. Numbers 11, 25, 19, 5 and 23 are also candidates, while Madrid could of course strip Vinicius of the 7 shirt to hand it to Mbappe.
An early test of their loyalty towards the Brazilian appears to be on the horizon then, in a similar situation to what Manchester United faced when they signed Ronaldo in 2021. At the time, Edinson Cavani possessed the iconic number 7 shirt at Old Trafford.
But Cavani relinquished his hold on it to allow Ronaldo to take back possession. Vinicius has become a superstar in his own right though, scoring 23 goals last term to pick up multiple awards including the Mahou Five Star Player of the Year and the EFE Award for the Best Ibero-American player.
"I'm very happy to have the support of the fans. I want to continue improving and developing to always be my best. I hope that next season I can continue in this way to help the team," he said after picking up the awards.
"This award means a lot to me personally as there have been some great players who have won it before and standing alongside them is very important to me. I really hope to continue this way next season and for the rest of my time at Real Madrid.
"I always want to be at my best and being alongside these players who have won it before helps me to keep working hard and evolving to always be at my best. We always aim to win as many trophies as possible and continue to improve in order to put Madrid where they deserve to be, which is to win everything."
