Granada CF vs Real Madrid - Zinedine Zidane plays down Kylian Mbappe links

Posted Friday, May 05, 2017 by PA

Zinedine Zidane has brushed off speculation surrounding a summer swoop for Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe as he focuses on pushing Real Madrid closer to securing the LaLiga title.

Saturday's match at Granada offers Real an opportunity to pull three points clear of rivals Barcelona, who host Villarreal, and given the fact the capital club have a game in hand, that potential outcome would be significant.

But rather than discussing what Real need to do at Los Carmenes, some media outlets have obsessed over the possibility head coach Zidane could launch a 100 million euro bid for 18-year-old striking sensation Mbappe.

The young France international has set Ligue 1 and the Champions League alight this season with 19 goals in those competitions, including three across two legs against Borussia Dortmund in the European quarter-finals.

But Zidane is determined to get the best out of his existing squad before discussing transfer targets.

He told realmadrid.com: "(Mbappe) is having an exceptional season and so of course people are starting to talk for talking's sake. I only focus on the players I already have at my disposal - and that's it.

"It's not good to talk about players that you don't coach."

Referring to the weekend meeting with a relegated opponent, the Frenchman added: "It will be even harder because Granada have nothing to play for.

"They will give their all against Real Madrid and they have some quality players. We could say that they've had a bad season because they've gone down, but all year long they've demonstrated that they can compete at this level.

"Let us prepare well for the game and do the best we can."

Real also have one foot in the Champions League final after inflicting a 3-0 home defeat on city foes Atletico in the first leg of the semi-finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo, already on a century of European goals, improved his remarkable continental record with a hat-trick at the Bernabeu, leading Zidane to say: "I think he's the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or again.

"He deserves everything he gets and having won that award so many times, he's already close to getting another.

"He has the respect of everyone here. You either love him or you don't - there is no middle ground."

Granada's relegation was confirmed following their defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend, but Tony Adams has seen enough during his brief time in charge to be positive for the future.

The former England and Arsenal defender has been parachuted into the dugout from his role as sporting director following the departure of head coach Lucas Alcaraz. However, the Andalusians have lost five times under his care.

Adams knows Granada's best talent, including Ghanaian midfielder Mubarak Wakaso, will leave Los Carmenes in the summer, and he is eyeing up some Spanish options ahead of the recruitment drive.

"Wakaso is too good a player to be in the second division so I don't really expect him to be here," Adams said at his pre-match press conference. "Instead it's very important that we sign some Spanish players for next season.

"We have been training in a competitive way throughout the year. The team played well last week and I want that to continue. We want to play against Real Madrid's best players because we are all professionals."