Madrid warned that signing Mbappe means four problems as Leverkusen speaks on Alonso’s status

Real Madrid have been warned that signing Kylian Mbappe would cause them four potential problems.

Mbappe continues to be hotly linked with a move to the Bernabeu at the end of his PSG contract, which expires in

For the moment, though, the links are cooling off, with an increased confidence in France that the player who finished third in the Ballon d’Or this year will remain at PSG.

This is backed up by AS, which notes that Real Madrid are aware that signing Mbappe would come at a cost that could create numerous problems in the squad.

Firstly, there is the problem that Mbappe’s arrival would shatter the salary scale at the Bernabeu. He is likely to cost around €35 million a year in terms of net wages, which would be more like €70m gross.

This would make the 24-year-old France international star by far the best-paid player at the club. No one else on their books earns more than €11m, with David Alaba and Toni Kroos the biggest earners at €10.8m and €10.7m respectively.

The second issue flagged is that Mbappe would step on the toes of Vinicius Junior, with both preferring to play off the left wing. Although Kylian could replace the departed Karim Benzema in the No.9 role, this is unlikely to be where he wants to play in the long term.

There is also the fear that signing Mbappe would effectively end the club’s chances of signing Erling Haaland from Manchester City – a player that critics have argued is a better fit for the Bernabeu side as his profile is one that is missed in the squad. The cost of signing Mbappe, between his wages and bonus payments, would prevent making this a realistic move.

Finally, it would also lead to a possible legal battle with PSG following the unexpected publication of a statement from Real Madrid indicating that they have not held talks with Mbappe ahead of 1 January. Such an action shows that the Ligue 1 side are clearly suspicious of Los Blancos tapping their player up and could force the issue to be decided by the courts – an issue that the club could do without.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen are saying Xabi Alonso does not have a release clause for his former clubs but the German team’s CEO says he will not be forced to stay if he ever wants to leave.

The Spaniard spent some time coaching in the Real Madrid youth set-up and at Real Sociedad B, but he is in his first role in management at Leverkusen and it is going very well.

Alonso took charge in October last year and after an encouraging first season, his team are top of the Bundesliga after 11 games of this campaign, winning 10 and drawing one.

Understandably he has been linked with bigger jobs as a result, including teams from his playing days, Real Madrid and Liverpool.

Reports in Germany from BILD claimed Alonso even had a release clause in his contract with Leverkusen which would allow him to join the Los Blancos or Bayern Munich, who he also played for during his incredible career.

However, Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has spoken out on the speculation, saying no such clause exists, but said he would not stand in his manager’s way if he did want to leave.

On whether Alonso has a release clause to join a former club, Carro told Ben Jacobs: ‘No, but you don’t need a clause. We have a very, very good relationship with Xabi and he knows we are a serious club. And at the end of the day, we’re not going to force someone to stay if he doesn’t want to stay.

‘We want him to feel so happy and so good with us that he really only wants to stay and this is our objective.

‘There is nothing on paper [allowing Alonso to leave for a former club]. But sometimes agreements that are not on paper are agreements as well.

‘We know if he needs to make a move in the future we will be able to talk with each other. And I hope we will not need to do this because he will stay and be happy at Leverkusen.’