Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed it would be “impossible” for any club to sign Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe this summer without the Super League.
The breakaway competition collapsed on Tuesday after several of its founding members, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal, withdrew amid fierce public backlash.
Perez, who was the tournament’s founding chairman, has been the public face of the controversial proposals since they were formally announced on Sunday night.
The 74-year-old has said the Super League would have “saved football” and has warned teams will struggle to buy expensive players without the injection of cash and financial security that the competition would have provided the football pyramid.
“In general, there will not be big transfers this summer,” Perez told El Larguero.
“When money does not flow from the rich clubs to the poor clubs, everyone suffers.
“It’s impossible to make signings like Mbappe and Haaland, in general, not just for Real Madrid, without the Super League.
“If we don’t sign Mbappe this summer, I don’t think any fan will shoot himself in the head. They know we’re doing our best, and if things don’t happen, it’s because they’re impossible.”
Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland would each command transfer fees of at least £150million if they were to leave their clubs this summer.
Real Madrid have strongly been linked to the pair, although Perez has also claimed that the club have lost almost double that due to financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
