Real Madrid will reportedly push to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala if they fail to land Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.
The French World Cup winner has been continuously linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu over the last two years.
After seeing a £171.7m bid rejected by PSG in 2021, Real Madrid were keen to sign Mbappe on a free transfer last year before he signed a new deal with PSG until 2024.
Mbappe was subject to further transfer speculation in the summer after he insisted he had no intention of activating a one-year extension clause in his PSG contract.
Despite being frozen out for part of PSG's pre-season, Mbappe was reintegrated into Luis Enrique's squad ahead of the current campaign.
While Mbappe has remained at the Parc des Princes, the links to Real Madrid have shown no signs of going away.
The Spanish giants were recently forced to make a statement to condemn "completely false" reports that suggested talks were already underway to bring the 24-year-old to the Spanish capital.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid continue to be linked with Mbappe and could open talks over a pre-contract agreement in the new year.
However, according to Bild, Real Madrid will pursue a deal for Bayern's Musiala if they are unable to secure Mbappe's signature in 2024.
Los Blancos hope the presence of Jude Bellingham could help persuade Musiala to complete the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Musiala and Bellingham are friends after playing together at England youth level, before the Bayern man ultimately opted to play for the country of his birth Germany.
In addition, the 20-year-old has also been linked with a move to the Premier League amid interest from the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
With speculation surrounding Musiala's future, the German champions are keen to extend his current contract, which runs until June 2026.
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dressen recently insisted that the club will do everything in their power to agree a new deal with one of their most prized assets.
Musiala is reluctant to discuss his future during the campaign and will hold off on any contract talks until the end of the season. body check tags ::
