Real Madrid ignored huge 'red flag' over Kylian Mbappe before signing him on a free transfer

Real Madrid ignored a major red flag prior to signing Kylian Mbappe on a free, a report claims.

Heavily linked with Los Blancos for a number of years, Mbappe finally penned a deal with Real in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Mbappe has taken a major pay cut at Real but is still believed to be their highest-earner and is entitled to a whopping £128 million signing-on fee.

Yet the Frenchman has not quite lived up to expectations at the start of his career in the Spanish capital. Mbappe, wearing the iconic No.9 shirt, has nine goals in 18 games but his arrival appears to have negatively impacted the balance of the side, who are down in 24th place in the Champions League table and behind Barcelona in La liga.

Mbappe has played centrally and on the left but hasn't been able to replicate his electric from at PSG. Mbappe's confidence look shot against Liverpool on Wednesday, when he saw a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher and was locked up by right-back Conor Bradley.

But a new report offers an explanation for why Mbappe has struggled so far. As per the Daily Mail, Mbappe has covered considerably less distance than his teammates in the Champions League this season, running 39km across five games.

Relevo say that Real were made aware in reports before signing Mbappe that his physical output had been dropping gradually ever since he won the World Cup with France in 2018.

Kylian Mbappe has struggled at Real Madrid this season. Image: Getty

They looked at the former Monaco man's average distance, high-intensity efforts and sustained sprint speed among other metrics. And although a decrease was clear, the 15-time European champions went ahead and signed Mbappe, feeling as though it was a signing they couldn't pass up on.

And while Mbappe has been hammered by sections of the Spanish press, Carlo Ancelotti was quick to defend the 25-year-old.

"He may be a bit lacking in confidence," Ancelotti said in a press conference.

"When things don't go your way, the idea you have to have is to play simple. It's a bit like this moment, but you can't judge him for missing a penalty. All players miss penalties. He has to keep working well. We have to be patient because he's an extraordinary player."

Real return to action on Sunday with a home game against Getafe.