Former Premier League striker Darren Bent believes there is no way Manchester City supporters would swap Erling Haaland for Kylian Mbappe – with the Frenchman set to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.
Mbappe will leave the reigning Ligue 1 champions at the end of the current campaign after informing the club that he will not sign a one-year extension on the initial two-year contract he agreed in 2022. However, the terms of his exit from PSG are yet to be agreed, with the forward into the final months of his contract.
Real Madrid, who saw a handful of bids rejected for the 25-year-old in 2021, are the favourites to secure Mbappe’s signature, while Premier League clubs Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been tentatively linked with audacious moves for the forward.
Such speculation around the Frenchman’s next club has led to talkSPORT duo Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein speculating if Manchester City fans would swap Haaland for Mbappe. But former England international Bent has rubbished that suggestion and labelled the Norway international as “unbelievable” in Pep Guardiola’s system.
“No. Man City fans don’t need to,” said Bent, asked if City supporters would swap Haaland for Mbappe. “Not instead of Haaland. They play to Haaland’s strengths. I tell you now, Man City are not giving up Haaland for Mbappe. I prefer Mbappe but my point is…the guy just broke the Premier League goal-scoring record.
“You’re almost pooh-poohing Haaland. He came in last season, breaks the record and they win the treble. Haaland is unbelievable in that system.
Asked if there were any members of the City squad that supporters would trade to bring Mbappe to the Etihad, Bent replied: “Kevin de Bruyne? I don’t know. I don’t think they are [swapping].”
He added: “You can have [Stefan] Ortega. Take [Nathan] Ake. Ake, Ortega, Scotty Carson.” However, asked if Foden would be considered to aid the arrival of Mbappe, Bent replied: “I bet you now that Pep’s not doing that. Foden?! Pep loves him. I would but I don’t know if Pep would.
“You’d be shocked mate. Do you know why because Manchester City have been so dominant. This squad won the treble…they’d almost look at it like: ‘Mbappe, ok?’
