The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kylian Mbappe

  • Juventus beat Monaco again to advance to Champions League final

    Juventus beat Monaco again to advance to Champions League final

    Juventus of Italy on Tuesday qualified for their second UEFA Champions League final match in three seasons with a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory over Monaco.

    Already leading 2-0 from their away first leg, the Italian side extended their advantage when Mario Mandzukic stabbed in after his initial header was saved.

    Dani Alves doubled their lead on the night with an instinctive volley from goalkeeper Danijel Subasic’s punched clearance.

    Kylian Mbappe turned in Joao Moutinho’s low cross to pull one back in the second half, but the French Ligue 1 side could not pull off an unlikely comeback.

    Juventus, whose last win in this competition was in 1996 and lost 1-3 to FC Barcelona in the 2015 final, will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the final.

    The final match is slated for Cardiff on June 3.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Atletico host Real on Wednesday looking to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit.

  • Kylian Mbappe agrees Real Madrid move

    Kylian Mbappe agrees Real Madrid move

     

    Kylian Mbappe has rejected the chance to play in the Premier League because he has said ‘yes’ to join Real Madrid, according to Marca.

    The Madrid-based newspaper reports that the 18-year-old wonderkid has given the green light to swapping Monaco for Spain.

    Zinedine Zidane, Mbappe’s fellow Frenchman, is said to have convinced the Manchester United and City target to join him at the Santiago Bernabeu.

    Club president Florentino Perez believes Mbappe, who has scored 22 goals in 36 games this season, fits the profile to become one of the club’s Galacticos.

    The summer transfer will cost Real Madrid around £85million if they want to convince Monaco into cashing in on their latest wonderkid.

    Mbappe was initially reluctant to leave Stade Louis II as he wants to continue to play on a regular basis but Zidane appears to have landed his No 1 target.

    Manchester City were willing to fork out £60m on Mbappe last summer but the approach was firmly rejected by the Ligue 1 outfit.

    Pep Guardiola will be frustrated at failing to push through the move as Mbappe has gone from strength to strength during the last few months.

    Mbappe has proven his class in the Champions League by netting five goals in Europe’s stellar club competition.

    He will be given another chance to impress his suitors on Tuesday when Monaco will be hoping to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Juventus.

  • Real Madrid to boost £96million bid for Mbappe

    Real Madrid to boost £96million bid for Mbappe

     

    Real Madrid have made Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe their top transfer target and are willing to blow the bank in pursuit of the forward, according to reports in Spain.

    Mbappe, scorer of 19 goals for the Ligue 1 side during a stunning breakthrough season, is set to make his debut for France during the current international break.

    And as well as pricking the interest of a number of cash-rich Premier League clubs, the teenager has made Los Blancos sit up and take notice.

    Spanish newspaper AS claim Real have already scouted Mbappe and sees him as a new-age Ronaldo – the Brazilian striker who played for Madrid at the turn of the century.

    AS quote a source inside the Bernabeu as saying: ‘Mbappe is a footballer that at one point could end up being a worldwide star.

    ‘He reminds us a lot of Ronaldo, who at that age dazzled at PSV Eindhoven or Henry when we wanted to bring him to Madrid next to Trezeguet.’

    The report claims Monaco have rejected a £96million approach from a Premier League side for Mbappe, with a summer bidding war looking almost inevitable.

    It also suggests Real president Florentino Perez was in Monaco for the second leg of the Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City to take a look at the 18-year-old.

    Another Spanish daily, Marca, also runs with the story that Madrid have added Mbappe to their wish list.

    The youngster is currently at France’s training camp at Clairefontaine ahead of his country’s two games over the coming week.

    Les Bleus make the short trip to Luxembourg for a World Cup qualifier on Saturday before hosting Spain in a friendly on Tuesday.