Real Madrid refused to sign current Aston Villa star on free contract despite recommendation from Zinedine Zidane in 2023: Reports

Real Madrid reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Youri Tielemans in 2023 despite Zinedine Zidane's recommendation. As reported by DefensaCentral via SPORTbible, Zidane urged Los Blancos to sign the Belgian midfielder on a free transfer.

However, Real Madrid rejected the proposal to sign the Belgium international who eventually joined Aston Villa. The 27-year-old was available for absolutely nothing in the summer of 2023 after his contract expired at Leicester City.

Tielemans has done pretty well since his switch to Villa Park having contributed with four goals and 10 assists in 55 appearances. He has been pretty impressive this season with one goal and three assists in nine games.

The Belgian midfielder made a name for himself quite young having come through Anderlecht's youth ranks. He made 185 appearances for his boyhood club before moving to AS Monaco in 2017.

After a decent spell at Monaco, he joined Leicester City in January 2019 on loan before making his move permanent six months later. He then became a key player for the Foxes having made 195 appearances while contributing with 28 goals and 26 assists.

Tielemans won the FA Cup and FA Community Shield during his time at the King Power Stadium. However, he could not prevent Leicester City's relegation from the Premier League in the 2022-23 season.

Real Madrid, however, do not have any lack of depth or quality in the middle of the park. They have Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and veteran Luka Modric.

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Journalist claims Real Madrid regret signing Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid reportedly regret the acquisition of Kylian Mbappe in the summer. The French superstar was signed by Los Blancos on a free transfer after his deal with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expired.

Even though Carlo Ancelotti's side did not pay a transfer fee for Mbappe, they offered him a reported €150 million signing-on fee along with a €15 million-a-year contract. However, journalist Romain Molina claims that the Spanish capital club are now regretting their decision.

As per Molina, only Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was keen on Mbappe as he always likes big-name signings. However, the club's hierarchy are not entirely convinced with the Frenchman's performances and the relationship with his teammates. Molina said in an interview with Colinterview, as quoted by Get Football News France:

"They regret bringing him in. I guarantee that. I have spoken about it on off [the record]. It hasn’t been at all what they were expecting. It was a whim of [Florentino] Perez. It was only Perez that wanted him."

The reputed journalist continued:

“[Perez] has always liked the big players. He also has a filial relationship with him (Mbappe) […] the club are gutted, firstly with his level (performances), which is not at all at the expected levels, in the dressing room it isn’t great, that isn’t necessarily Mbappe’s fault though."

He added:

"I think Real have made a big mistake. He didn’t have a pre-season, he played instantly, unlike [Jude] Bellingham. When you see how [Mbappe] is physically at 25, you can’t explain it to me. The physical drop-off that he has had at 25, I have never seen that.”

Kylian Mbappe has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 12 appearances for Real Madrid across competitions so far. He scored the opener in Los Blancos' victory over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday, October 19.