Real Madrid's young guns are club's Champions League future as Mbappe move falls though

Real Madrid opened their training campus to hundreds of visitors on Tuesday, part of the obligation of any Champions League finalist to give face-to-face time with players and staff to the international media ahead of the match.

But throughout the day, there was a distraction, a recurring theme in conversations – about a player who will not be passing through the gates of the Madrid training site any time soon.

At the weekend, Kylian Mbappe announced he had signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain, a deal of enormous value to the France striker, and an abrupt change in the direction Mbappe’s career had seemed to be moving in.

Madrid thought they were on course to add Mbappe to their squad this July. There was shock when the encouraging indications they thought they had from the player and his advisors turned out to be false.

Madrid are unused to snubs like this. They are club football’s aristocrats, and chasing an unmatched 14th European Cup on Saturday, when they meet Liverpool in Paris, partly because they pursue the best attacking footballers and usually succeed in hiring them.

Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were all instrumental in winning Champions League titles for Madrid in the past two decades: Madrid paid world-record transfer fees for each of them.

Mbappe broke the mould by saying ‘No’ to joining that procession. It will be his loss, muttered some Madrid players.

“Being part of Madrid is a privilege not everybody can have,” posted Fede Valverde, the 23-year-old midfielder.

REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois - 8: Good save from Silva strike in 20th minute and an even better one from dipping Foden shot later in half. Beaten at near post by thunderous Mahrez finish. Great stops from