Real Madrid should sign Haaland and Mbappe, says club legend Hierro

Real Madrid should sign Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe this summer, according to club legend Fernando Hierro.

Haaland has emerged on Madrid's transfer radar after a stellar start to his Borussia Dortmund career, while Paris Saint-Germain striker Mbappe has long been mooted as a potential target for the Spanish giants.

It has been reported that the Blancos will try to sign one of the two men later this year, as Zinedine Zidane seeks to bolster his attacking ranks, but Hierro sees no reason why his old club can't land both players.

What's been said?

Hierro, who played over 500 games for Madrid at the height of his career while picking up five La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns, told Radio Marca: “If I were Real Madrid, I would sign Haaland and Mbappe."

How much would Haaland and Mbappe cost?

Haaland moved to Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 for the bargain price of €20 million (£17m/$24m), but his stock has sky-rocketed since then.

The 20-year-old has scored 49 goals in his first 49 games for Dortmund, and recent reports have suggested that he is now being valued in excess of €80m (£69m/$95m).

Mbappe, meanwhile, is currently the second most expensive player in history, having been snapped up from Monaco by PSG in a €145m ($171m/$125m) deal in 2017 - which included €35m (£30m/$41m) in add-ons.

Like Haaland at Westfalenstadion, the Frenchman's worth has only gone up at Parc des Princes as he has helped the French champions earn three successive Ligue 1 titles and reach the Champions League final, while also becoming a World Cup winner at international level.

If Madrid do indeed decide to try and broker a double transfer when the market reopens, they will almost certainly have to part with over €300m (£259m/$355m) in order to prise Haaland and Mbappe away from their respective clubs.

The bigger picture

Madrid could be one of the few clubs in Europe capable of making big-money deals in 2021 amid the coronavirus crisis.

The Liga champions decided not to spend any money during the last summer transfer window due to the financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic, and could therefore, have funds available for new players at the end of the season.

However, they probably won't be the only clubs in the market for Haaland and Mbappe, and it is unclear exactly how Zidane would be able to fit both players in his starting line-up at any rate.

Much could also depend on whether or not Eden Hazard can overcome his fitness issues to aid Karim Benzema in the final third of the pitch.

If the Belgian could stay injury-free, it would make more sense for Madrid to add just one new striker to their ranks instead of two, and Hierro has urged the club's backroom staff to put an arm around the winger as he recovers from his latest problem.

He added: "Hazard seems to me a great player, one of the top 10 in the world. Maybe during his recovery, it would be good to put in a little word with him."

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