Real Madrid failed with a €200m (£171.7m) deadline-day bid for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé but signed another exciting young France international in Eduardo Camavinga.
Camavinga, an 18-year-old midfielder, joined on a six-year contract from Rennes for €31m, with up to €9m to follow in add-ons. But Madrid were forced to accept defeat in their pursuit of Mbappé – at least for the time being – when PSG declined to respond to their latest offer.
Madrid’s bid would have guaranteed PSG €200m, a small profit on the €180m it cost to take him from Monaco, at a point when Mbappé has less than a year left on his contract.
The French club’s president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, was determined to keep the forward and turned down offers of €160m and €170m from Madrid over the past week. PSG’s sporting director, Leonardo, has admitted the player hoped to leave and Mbappé has the option of signing a pre-contract agreement with another club in January.
Camavinga, born in a refugee camp in Angola to Congolese parents, last year became the youngest player to represent France since 1917 at 17 years, nine months and 29 days old. He came through the ranks at Rennes and made his Ligue 1 debut aged 16.
PSG finalised a late deal to bring in Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon. The 19-year-old left-back has joined on a season’s loan, at a cost of €7m, with an option to buy for €40m.
