Modric hoping Mbappe makes Madrid move

By Sports Desk March 08, 2022

Luka Modric hopes Kylian Mbappe will join him at Real Madrid next season, as speculation continues over the forward's future.

Mbappe's contract expires at the end of June and the Paris Saint-Germain forward continues to be strongly linked with a move to Madrid.

The prolific 23-year-old has been included in PSG's squad to face Los Blancos in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Wednesday and looks set to play despite suffering a knock in training on Monday.

Mbappe was the difference in the first leg, scoring a stunning late winner to give PSG a 1-0 advantage in the tie after Lionel Messi had seen a penalty saved by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Modric is also coming towards the end of his contract but has spoken of his desire to extend his stay with LaLiga leaders Madrid, and the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner says any player in the world would want Mbappe as a team-mate.

"We want to play with great players, Kylian is one of those. Of course, I'd like to play with him, let's see," the midfielder told reporters.

"It's difficult to talk about other players, clubs get angry, can interpret it badly, but I don't think a player exists that doesn't want him on their team."

Mbappe has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 13 appearances in the Champions League, scoring 13 goals and assisting a further five.

His winning strike in the first leg was his latest goal in the competition to date, coming after 93 minutes and 14 seconds.

A big part of PSG's resolve to keep Mbappe despite bids from Madrid last year was their desire to win the Champions League.

However, PSG have been eliminated from three of their eight Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg – only Barcelona (four) and Madrid (six) have been knocked out in this fashion more often.

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