Sports
Transfer: Michael Owen Names Player Blocking Haaland From Joining Real Madrid
Former Real Madrid striker Michael Owen has identified Kylian Mbappe as the player who could prevent Erling Haaland from joining the Spanish giants.
Haaland has been regularly linked with a move to Real Madrid after establishing himself as one of the best strikers in world football.
However, Owen believes Real Madrid are unlikely to pursue the Manchester City forward while Mbappe remains at the club.
Speaking to Goal.com, Owen explained that both players prefer to operate in similar attacking positions, making it difficult for Real Madrid to accommodate them in the same starting XI.
“As long as they have Mbappe, I cannot envision them investing that amount.
“There are already doubts about whether Vini Junior and Mbappe can function together since Mbappe tends to favor the left side; this is already under scrutiny. If it were Mbappe and Haaland, how would they accommodate both? Would they position Mbappe on the left?
“In my opinion, it has to be one or the other. I do not believe it is feasible to have two of the arguably best centre-forwards in the world, Mbappe and Haaland, in the same squad.
“Considering the financial implications and the challenge of making it work… It would necessitate Mbappe’s departure for that to occur, I would assume.
“They have previously attempted the Galactico approach many years ago, in my era. Simply gathering exceptional players is not necessarily the solution,” Owen said.
Haaland was previously linked with Real Madrid during his time at Borussia Dortmund but eventually joined Manchester City in 2022. The speculation has continued despite the Norwegian signing a new long-term contract with City.
Mbappe, meanwhile, joined Real Madrid as a free agent in 2024 after years of being linked with the club. He has since established himself as one of their leading attacking players.
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With Real Madrid already boasting stars such as Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Mbappe, Owen believes the club would need to make a major decision before considering another expensive attacking signing like Haaland.