Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe as a free agent may well go down in history as one of the most shocking transfers in history, especially given that players of such quality are seldom available without any transfer fees.

The wait that Los Blancos had to endure to sign him, however, was anything but simple as Florentino Perez and Co. toiled to no end year after year facing only rejection time and time again.

Given the club’s allure, it is not surprising that several top strikers on the planet offered their services to the club at that complicated moment, eyeing it as a chance to steal a move to Madrid.

The Merengues, however, held on tightly and managed to fill the hiatus with their existing squad and a handy signing in Joselu.

One that could have been

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello opened up on a surprising tale from the player’s recent transfer history stating that Carlo Ancelotti was considering him as an option for Real Madrid’s forward department.

“There was a chance for Lukaku to join Real Madrid,” he began.

His words, however, made it clear that it was Los Blancos’ firm desire to sign Kylian Mbappe that made the Lukaku option infeasible.

“They were thinking of a forward, but they were already focused on Mbappe for the next year, so they didn’t want to spend on a loan deal,” he said.

He then clarified that it was Ancelotti who was in favour of roping in Lukaku as a temporary fix to serve as the number nine.

“Carlo Ancelotti would’ve liked him, but unfortunately it did not happen.”

Lukaku now plays for Napoli in the Serie A although he has been out of action since suffering a serious injury in pre-season.

Last term, he had 14 goals and 10 assists to his name in 36 league appearances.