Real Madrid have had a long-standing interest in Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe , and they came close to signing the 22-year-old back in 2014.

Mbappe visited Real Madrid’s facilities and was able to meet the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is his idol, and Zinedine Zidane, but in the end he remained in France.

There’s no doubt that Kylian Mbappe remains the hottest property in world football at present, and that Florentino Perez would doubtless like to have the French World Cup winner line up in the all white kit.

“My parents wanted me to start my career in France, to be educated in France,” Mbappe revealed during an interview with L’Obs.

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“To play football, but also to continue my education. To go to Spain, even if it was with Zidane, it was another country, another culture…”

The PSG star did not discuss his future, with his contract at the Parc des Princes set to expire in 2022, but he did leave some clues about his sporting aspirations.

“I always want to set myself challenges, because that allows you not to relax,” Mbappe said.

With PSG still not conquering Europe despite Mbappe and Neymar’s presence for the past few seasons, and an inability to even win the French league last season, the player may now feel that the time is right to make the jump to La Liga.