Florentino Perez settles it: Mbappé, Vinicius and Bellingham will stay at Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé will not leave Real Madrid this summer. Running for re-election as club president, Florentino Perez made it clear Wednesday in an interview with Spanish daily AS: the Frenchman, along with Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, will remain Merengues next season.

Rumours of internal tensions and cliques formed around the three stars had fuelled speculation about a possible departure of one of them after two consecutive seasons without a major trophy. Perez dismissed these doubts outright. “We are talking about exceptional players, players that every major club in the world wanted, and we are fortunate to have them at Real Madrid. Of course they will stay,” he said.

The Spanish businessman took it upon himself to defend Mbappé personally, whose sporting record in Spain has been regularly criticized since his arrival. “No one should question the status of such an exceptional player. He will bring us a lot and I am certain he will enjoy immense success at Real Madrid,” he continued.

Beyond the fate of current players, Perez also mentioned recruitment targets to strengthen Madrid’s defence, notably citing Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries. His rival in the presidential race, Enrique Riquelme, is banking on different profiles, with Erling Haaland and Rodri in his sights. The presidential election is to be held Sunday.

Mbappé, meanwhile, will have his mind on the France national team in the meantime. The forward is expected Thursday for the first warm-up match of Les Bleus ahead of the World Cup, against Côte d’Ivoire — a match where he could play alongside Ibrahima Konaté, his potential future club teammate.