Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti responds to Kylian Mbappe links and lays out summer transfer plans

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·2 January 2024

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti responds to Kylian Mbappe links and lays out summer transfer plans

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has evaded efforts to get him to pronounce on the future of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, but was transparent on their plans going forward.

The French star is now available to sign a contract with any club he pleases, moving into the last six months of his deal. Unsurprisingly, he has become a topic again, with Real Madrid expected to make an offer to him, but Ancelotti was reluctant to give anything away during his first press conference of the year.

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“I don’t recognise you, you must be one of the new ones who doesn’t know that I won’t speak about that,” he joked. “I won’t touch on that topic.”

He did however confirm that Real Madrid would not be signing a central defender in the winter transfer market, despite being down to just two natural central defenders. In theory, they will have at least Eder Militao and David Alaba back next season, with Nacho Fernandez’s future in the air. Ancelotti said he was not thinking about the summer window, but that they wouldn’t be making many signings.

“There are players who are out of contract, but they will choose what they want to do themselves. Kroos, Nacho, Modric… The future is already outlined.”

“There aren’t many things to do. It seems like it’s too soon. We are not thinking about what is going to happen in the summer of 2024. We do not have to do many things because the team is heading in a very good direction with very important young people, and another who will arrive who is very good [Endrick Felipe].”

Real Madrid are reportedly keen to extend the contract of Toni Kroos, but the German midfielder is leaning towards deciding at the end of the season, so that he can see what role he has in the squad. Nacho and Luka Modric will likely be in a similar situation, but with the Croatian towards the bottom end of the pecking order this season, it very much looks like it could be his last at the Santiago Bernabeu.