Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane or Erling Haaland: Who should Real Madrid sign?

Summer transfer windows aren't fun without that sweat and panic that Real Madrid are going to nick your best player.

Okay, 'fun' might not be the right word in that instance, but when Los Blancos are on the hunt for another Galactico, the football world is a more interesting place.

I mean, we all love a bit of Marca's front-page splashes, don't we? Everyone's all for Sergio Ramos or some other club legend insisting a player has 'Real Madrid DNA'.

Out of almost nowhere, Real Madrid are in the market for a striker. Karim Benzema's sudden departure to Saudi Arabia has taken everyone by surprise, and a move for ex-Stoke City star Joselu can't be the only one the Spanish giants make this summer.

90min understands that Real Madrid retain an interest in long-term target Kylian Mbappe, who could be sold by PSG this summer after refusing to sign a new contract.

Harry Kane has one year left to run on his own deal at Tottenham Hotspur and is top of Los Blancos' shortlist of natural centre forwards. Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland has continually been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu too.

But which star striker should Real Madrid move for this summer? 90min assesses their options...

Price

If Florentino Perez thinks he can walk into PSG, Tottenham or Manchester City and leave with their respective best players willy nilly, he's in for a reality check.

The good news is that Les Parisiens seem a little more receptive to losing their star forward - they are adamant he will not leave for free next summer and so negotiations should theoretically be a little easier.

Spurs, however, are still holding out hope that Kane could sign a new contract (for whatever reason) and are seemingly acting as if his deal expires in 2034 instead of 2024.

Haaland is almost certainly off the table this summer and Real Madrid should probably save their breath. We'll keep him in the conversation for the fun hypotheticals, though.

Suitability

If Real Madrid want a like-for-like Benzema replacement, then Kane is the obvious avenue.

The England captain is a proven goalscorer and creator, able to drop deep to release his quicker teammates. Vinicius Junior is essentially Son Heung-min but better, younger and more proven on the biggest stages. It's a partnership that could easily be replicated in Spain.

The problem for Mbappe is he plays the same position and role as Vinicius. While 90min understands that Real Madrid do not have reservations over playing the Frenchman through the middle, it is a problem that has plagued PSG over the last couple of seasons.

Mbappe is said to have asked PSG to sign a natural centre forward to play off of in the past and he has reluctantly played as a number nine, with his preference to come in from the left.

Kane and Mbappe can both boast various strings to their attacking bows, but it may be harder for Real Madrid to integrate a pure scorer in Haaland the way that Pep Guardiola has at Manchester City.

READ MORE ON KYLIAN MBAPPE'S UNCERTAIN PSG FUTURE

Superstar factor

Most teams wouldn't (and shouldn't) take this into account, but this is Real Madrid Club de Futbol we are talking about here.

There is a clear winner in this category, too. Mbappe oozes charisma on and off the pitch. He is incredibly marketable for someone who has played his entire career in Ligue 1 and could elevate his status to a legendary degree with a move to the Spanish capital.

Haaland has turned into more of an extrovert since joining Manchester City though does remain quite conservative in interviews, but Kane is the anti-superstar. He shows up, does his job and goes home like a 9-5 worker.

Statement

This is probably the closest category, or at least the one in which Mbappe isn't the clear winner.

It feels like destiny for the Frenchman to don the white of Real Madrid one day, even if it isn't immediately.

But taking another superstar off of Daniel Levy's hands? Going into the home of the treble winners and stealing their best player after losing 4-0 there only a month ago? That would prove Real Madrid are still at the very top of the food chain.

Conclusion

Surprise surprise, our verdict is that Real Madrid should pursue Mbappe.

It makes the most sense, it shouldn't necessarily require them to break the bank and fits the timescale of their young, up-and-coming team led by Vinicius and Jude Bellingham.

Add Mbappe into that mix and Real Madrid are firmly a better team than the one that limped over the line at the end of the 2022/23 season.

LISTEN NOW

On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network,Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is future of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi's shock move to Inter Miami, Declan Rice's proposed Arsenal deal, Tottenham's summer plans and more.

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!