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Booed at the Bernabeu and sniping at Arbeloa: What comes next for Kylian Mbappe?

15 May 2026 08:29 BST | 6 min read

Kylian Mbappe

Robin Bairner

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Kylian Mbappe might have marked his return from injury by helping Real Madrid to a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo on Thursday, but booed onto the Bernabeu pitch by a large section of the home support, it was one of the darkest nights in the Frenchman’s career.

Mbappe may have been sidelined for much of the last month, but the former PSG attacker has not escaped the mounting chaos at Real Madrid and, indeed, has found himself in the eye of the storm.

Whether it’s been criticising the club’s medical staff for a misdiagnosis due to the club using a free AI tool and scanning the wrong knee when he was nursing an injury or jetting off to Italy on holiday with his partner during his latest period of rehabilitation with a muscular concern, the Parisian has been caught up in the tempest.

The look is not a good one for the 27-year-old. Reports in Spain, albeit from Barcelona-based source Sport, indicate the squad is fed up with his antics. The fans certainly are.

As Mbappe was introduced for Gonzalo Garcia midway through the second half against Oviedo, the crowd loudly jeered him. His face may have been smiling, but it would have been a huge personal blow to a player who thought he was completing a dream move to Madrid two years ago.

Even 41 goals in 42 games have not been enough to silence the critics.

“I was ready to start but Arbeloa told me I am the fourth striker now,” he told the media after the game.

“It’s OK. We have to accept the decisions of the coach. I will be working even harder.”

Mbappe also mentioned former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso and the “great relationship” the pair have.

“Everyone knows what I think about him,” he added in what may either have been a message of support for the Spaniard, a subtle dig towards Arbeloa or a mixture of both.

At any rate, Mbappe’s place at Real Madrid looks more fragile than ever – but what can be done about it?

Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid

Mbappe to the Premier League?

Mbappe and Real Madrid find themselves in a position whereby it may be impossible to split up.

The list of clubs that could both afford and attract Mbappe, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €129m, is vanishingly small. He is, after all, a player who comes with baggage in terms of the ego he brings and the demands he makes beyond the scale of his salary.

A return to PSG is off the cards due to the nature of his exit from the club, forget cash-strapped Serie A, while in the Bundesliga Bayern Munich would be required to absolutely shatter their transfer record to complete an unlikely deal. Saudi can match his wages but is not an attractive enough destination to fulfil his sporting targets.

That leaves the five biggest Premier League clubs as possibilities.

Following Mbappe’s public praise of Alonso, could he follow the Spaniard to Chelsea or Liverpool should he take either of those roles? Both clubs could certainly use a left-sided attacker and have been no strangers to blockbuster transfers in the recent past.

Arsenal are also seeking a left winger, but FootballTransfers understands that they are prioritising Julian Alvarez for that role. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would also demand more of a defensive workhorse than Mbappe has ever been in his career, hence Atletico Madrid is a likelier shopping destination than Real across the city.

And how about Manchester? At City, Pep Guardiola has studied Mbappe in the past and was linked with a move for him when he was becoming a free agent at PSG. A move nevertheless seems unlikely for the moment.

United, meanwhile, could use a marquee signing of a superstar to bring further impetus on the reinvigorated club. Mbappe would fit the bill in an area where the side needs strengthening. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s model suggests there will not be transfer budget for such a move, and Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions may block such a deal in any case.

Mbappe likely to remain at Real Madrid

If Mbappe were to leave Real Madrid this summer, it would surely be to the Premier League, where there are clubs capable of signing him and who have some motivation to add him to their ranks. None, however, appear obvious solutions.

The likelihood is that the Frenchman is still a Real Madrid player when the 2026/27 season begins in August.

And there certainly is a way back for him. Even Cristiano Ronaldo was jeered at times by the Bernabeu crowd.

Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Portuguese, though certainly not in this regard. Nevertheless, he should look to his idol as an example of how to respond during such a period of crisis.

What comes next is up to him; he cannot allow one bleak period to define his stay at the club.