Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti lowered expectations at a press conference regarding the possible signing of Kylian Mbappe this summer. Asked about the Frenchman and, more generally, about the need for a new No.9 before the end of the transfer window, he said that he does not think another striker is needed.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was “very satisfied” with the attacking players in his squad ahead of the season and said he believes they “will not” sign any player to wear the No.9 shirt, which is still free after the departure of France’s Karim Benzema.

“I don’t think so. I’m very satisfied with this squad and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve seen something very good in the pre-season. I see that the players are very lively, very excited and very enthusiastic. They have a lot of commitment and we are going to fight all season,” he commented at a press conference when asked about the addition of a striker.

Ancelotti reaffirmed his position when questioned about a possible move for a No.9 and the Frenchman Kylian Mbappe. “I don’t think so -about whether a striker is needed-. The problem we’ve had in pre-season has been the defensive aspect. In attack, we lacked a little bit of accuracy, but that’s normal because, in pre-season, a striker doesn’t have the freshness to find the net,” he said.

“Joselu has arrived, who is very good in the box; Brahim, who is very good between the lines…”, he added. On the two strikers who will start at San Mames, Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, he didn’t want to set a goal target for them in terms of number of goals. “They have to continue their progression, as they have done in recent years. How many goals? I don’t know. We have a team with several options to score goals,” he replied.