Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed he has urged Kylian Mbappe to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join Real Madrid.
The veteran Swedish striker spent four seasons at the French club between 2012 and 2016 but believes Mbappe’s development would be better served away from the club, where he would have “more structure”.
Madrid lodged a world record bid - reported to be in excess of €220million - which received no response from the Ligue 1 club in the closing hours of the summer transfer window.
As evidenced by Madrid’s failed transfer attempt to sign Mbappe this summer, PSG are unlikely to allow one of their prized assets to depart without a fight.
Mbappe’s contract at Les Parisiens expires next summer and theoretically he can negotiate with other clubs to sign a pre-contract agreement from January 1.
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Ibrahimovic netted 156 goals in 180 appearances for the French capital club, where he won 12 trophies – before joining Manchester United as a free agent in 2016.
Yet the Swede has urged Mbappe to leave the club, ahead of his contract expiring in six months, and believes that Real Madrid would be a suitable destination for him.
However, the Milan striker also confirmed that he advised PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi not to cash-in on the striker – presumably during the most recent summer transfer window.
Ibrahimovic told Italian media outlet Corriere della Sera: "It is true that I told Kylian Mbappe he should leave PSG.
"He needs a more structured environment like the one at Real Madrid.
"However, I also advised the PSG president not to sell him."
It follows Mbappe appearing to send a cryptic transfer message to Real Madrid over his future at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Mbappe told reporters: "Of course my goal is to win a Ballon d'Or title or several of them, but there is a process to achieve it."
Former France international Emmanuel Petit has claimed that Mbappe is ‘tired’ of not getting the same recognition as his PSG teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Petit said this week: “I think he’s been frustrated and tired by the situation at PSG over the past year.
"We’ve seen some trouble on the pitch between players both at Paris Saint-Germain and the national team, which was reflective in his game and his mood.
“Maybe he’s interested in Real Madrid because he’s tired of what’s happening here in France. I think he gets the feeling sometimes that he doesn’t get the same recognition as players like [Lionel] Messi or Neymar.
“Messi, before he came here, he was the king of Barcelona. But for me, the king of Paris Saint-Germain is Mbappe, not Messi or Neymar. With all the respect I have for Messi, Mbappe is still number one.”
Mbappe’s deal in Paris will expire on 30 June and speculation over his future is only likely to intensify in the weeks and months to come.
