Real Madrid shortlist Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland as Karim Benzema’s successor

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are currently considered to be the hottest properties in world football. The former is plying his trade with Manchester City and played a major role as they won the Premier League title in his first season. The Norwegian scored 36 goals in 35 matches. With one more match to play, he has already broken Andy Cole and Alan Shearer's record of most goals scored in a single Premier League season. Cole hammered 34 goals for Newcastle United during the 1993-94 season and Shearer scored the same amount for Blackburn Rovers (1994-95 season).

Haaland could also win a treble with City this season. Pep Guardiola's side are scheduled to face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3. Then, they have their UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan scheduled for June 11. The former Borussia Dortmund man is also the highest UCL goal scorer this season with 12 goals.

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo pushes for transfer to European giant and it’s not Real Madrid or Manchester United

Meanwhile, Mbappe is on course to win the Ligue 1 title with PSG, who sit comfortable on top of the table. In the ongoing season, he has bagged 28 goals in 32 matches. He is also Ligue 1's highest goalscorer this season, ahead of Lyon talisman Alexandre Lacazette, who has scored 26 times. PSG's UCL title ambitions once again came to a miserable end this season with a 3-0 aggregate defeat vs Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. In eight matches, he registered seven goals in the Champions League. Meanwhile, PSG crashed out of the Coupe de France in the Round of 16 with a 1-2 defeat vs Marseille.

Both Haaland and Mbappe have long been linked to Real Madrid. The La Liga side's primary focus is on Mbappe. According to reports, Mbappe is unlikely to depart PSG during this summer transfer window, but there could be a chance for Madrid to sign him on free. According to L'Equipe, Mbappe's contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season. Although he has an option to extend his contract for another year, there is a high probability that he won't go ahead with it. Also, there has been pressure from the PSG board on the Frenchman to come to a decision by the end of July.

If a move for Mbappe doesn't materialise, then Real Madrid are expected to swoop in for Haaland, but even that could be difficult as he seems to be settled in Manchester. But whoever joins, will be expected to succeed club legend Karim Benzema.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.