Real Madrid remain disappointed at having missed out on Kylian Mbappe to Paris Saint-Germain, with Florentino Perez airing that frustration to Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev on a regular basis.
Once it became apparent that the teenage forward could be on the move in the summer of 2017, a scramble for his signature was sparked among Europe’s leading clubs.
Those at the Santiago Bernabeu believed for a while that they were leading the chase, with a sizeable offer accepted by Monaco.
Mbappe was, however, to remain in France and link up with PSG on an initial loan, which has since become a €180 million (£159m/$213m) permanent agreement.
The 19-year-old is now a World Cup winner and global superstar, with Vasilyev revealing that Real are still cursing their luck at failing to get a deal done.
He told RMC Sport: “These two clubs are friends. I have spoken with [Real president] Florentino Perez and every time he sees me he always blames me for not selling him Kylian Mbappe.”
Vasilyev was in attendance on Wednesday as Madrid suffered a 4-2 UEFA Super Cup defeat to arch-rivals Atletico.
While there was no Mbappe on show in that contest, another former Monaco man did feature.
Thomas Lemar left Stade Louis II over the summer to link up with Atleti, with a €60m deal taking him to Spain.
The 22-year-old winger is expected to star in La Liga, with Monaco hoping to benefit in the future from a sell-on clause which could land them even more money if the France international moves on.
Vasilyev added to RMC: “Thomas has just left and I wish him all the best, along with everybody else at Monaco… because we have kept a significant percentage of his next transfer!”
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