Kroos drops Mbappe to Real Madrid transfer hint & discusses Messi exit weakening Barcelona

Toni Kroos has dropped a Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid transfer hint while discussing Lionel Messi's Barcelona exit potentially weakening his club's main rivals.

Messi's 21-year career at Camp Nou officially came to an end at the start of the month when Barca announced that they were unable to re-sign the 34-year-old due to their ongoing struggle to get below La Liga's current wage limit.

PSG subsequently swooped in to sign Messi on a free transfer, but it has been suggested that they could lose another star name in the form of Mbappe, who has yet to reach an agreement with the club over a contract extension.

What's been said?

Kroos can now see Mbappe making his way to Real Madrid, with it his belief that Messi's move to Parc des Princes could end up working in the Blancos' favour in a number of different ways.

"We'll see how it all works out (Messi to PSG). Maybe the move is good for us because our biggest competitor has lost their best player," the Germany international said while talking to his brother on their joint podcast Einfach mal luppen.

"And maybe even more good things will come out of it as a result. Maybe [a player] from Paris joins us… If that (Mbappe joining Madrid) should actually happen - I don't know - this whole Messi deal would certainly not be a disadvantage for us."

PSG's stance on Mbappe

Mbappe has just entered the final year of his contract at PSG, and Goal has reported that Real will wait until next summer before swooping for his signature if a deal cannot be arranged before the end of the current transfer window.

However, Parc des Princes president Nasser Al-Khelaifi made it clear that he expects the World Cup winner to stay put after Messi's unveiling in Paris last week.

"The future of Mbappe? I think everyone knows. His future is clear. He said it himself, he wanted us to have a competitive team," he said. "Well, we have the most competitive in the world right now. So there is no excuse for him now. He can't do anything else but stay."

Kroos picks between Messi & Ronaldo

Kroos went on to weigh in on the eternal debate over who is the greatest player of all time, choosing his former Real team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who now plays for Juventus, over Barcelona's all-time record goalscorer Messi.

"From my playing days, it's Cristiano Ronaldo (best player of all time)," said the Blancos star. "Of course I'm biased because he made a decisive contribution to us winning a lot of titles. It was exciting and impressive (to play alongside Ronaldo).

"We were not only team-mates, but also neighbours in the dressing room and neighbours in private. He lived right next to me. Seeing what a perfectionist he is was impressive.

"That is why it is forbidden for me to name Messi (as the best player of all time)."

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