Real Madrid are reportedly ‘gutted’ at Kylian Mbappe‘s performance levels and regret signing the France international.
Mbappe ended one of football’s longest-running transfer sagas this summer when he joined Los Blancos on a free transfer from PSG.
The 25-year-old has scored seven goals in 11 games since joining but said to be facing a rape allegation after a visit to Sweden with friends during the international break.
On Monday, Mbappe blasted a report from Aftonbladet as ‘fake news’ about an alleged rape at the Bank Hotel on Thursday last week. However, Swedish newspaper Expressen later claimed it is Mbappe who is being investigated by police. He denies the allegation.
‘They regret bringing him in. I guarantee that. I have spoken about it on off (the record),’ journalist Romain Molina told Colininterview.
Real Madrid reportedly ‘regret’ signing Kylian Mbappe and are ‘gutted’ with his performances
Despite scoring seven goals in 11 games he is apparently not at the level they anticipated
Kylian Mbappe is facing an accusation of rape at the Bank hotel in Stockholm last week
The France and Real Madrid star – who denies the allegations – was visiting Sweden with friends from Wednesday to Friday last week
‘It hasn’t been at all what they were expecting. It was a whim of [Florentino] Perez. It was only Perez that wanted him.
‘[Perez] has always liked the big players. He also has a filial relationship with him (Mbappe). The club are gutted, firstly with his level (of 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.
‘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.’
Mbappe is claimed to have hosted ‘private parties’ at the exclusive V nightclub in Stockholm, a venue the Clubbable app describes as hosting ‘celebrities, wealthy men and women, and stunning young ladies dressed extravagantly’, on the night of the alleged rape.
Mbappe flew in on a private jet last Wednesday before checking in to the swanky Bank hotel.
Rooms at the independent boutique hotel start at around £400 a night with a town suite costing an eye-popping £900 a night.
Swedish prosecutors confirmed on Monday that according to a ‘criminal report’ an incident took place on October 10 at the Bank hotel.
Mbappe has been left ‘flabbergasted’ by rape and sexual harassment claim, his lawyers has said
Real Madrid reportedly held a crisis meeting surrounding the allegations on Monday evening
Mbappe took to social media to brand the report ‘fake news’ and continues to deny the claim
Mbappe had reportedly earlier that night been at French restaurant Chez Jolie before he headed to the V nightclub and finally back to his hotel in a black van.
The BBC reported that officers visited the hotel on Monday and later left with bags, with it being reported that clothing was taken for evidence.
Mbappe, who reportedly earns around £246,000 a week, blasted the report from Aftonbladet as ‘fake news’.
His lawyers insist Mbappe is bewildered by the accusations that he continues to strongly refute.
‘We’re talking about a complaint being lodged, and at this time we don’t know against whom,’ said Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, speaking on French TV’s TF1. ‘A complaint doesn’t reveal anything.
‘Mbappe is never alone. He is never alone, so he would be exposed to a situation where he would be taking a risk. That totally rules out any wrongdoing. It’s an absolute certainty.
‘He’s particularly serene, but he’s flabbergasted by all the media hype. He has no idea what he’s being accused of. If there is an investigation, he will submit to Swedish justice. But he is calm because he has nothing to reproach himself for.’
Meanwhile, on Monday, Mbappe’s entourage had told AFP in a statement: ‘Today, a new slanderous rumour is starting to spread across the web from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.
Mbappe left Sweden’s Bromma airport in a private jet after missing France duty
‘These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.
‘In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappe), all necessary legal actions will be taken to re-establish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe is suffering repeatedly,’ the statement added.
Investigators and a forensic unit were at the alleged crime scene on Monday, according to Aftonbladet.
The newspaper reported that the alarm over the alleged rape was raised when the woman ‘sought care’ at a local hospital.
Mbappe left Sweden’s Bromma airport in a private jet.