Kylian Mbappe may have just dropped a cryptic hint regarding his next club preference during the summer transfer window.
After a stunning fallout, the France international appears likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the near future.
PSG wants to sell the attacker after failing to extend his contract last month and with one year left on his contract.
Real Madrid are the hot favourites to sign the 24-year-old, but a move to Saudi Arabia appears to be off the table.
Liverpool is one of the clubs linked to a loan to the Premier League.
Mbappe, on the other hand, may have simply hinted at his desire with a cryptic social media post.
Fans saw three upturned playing cards in a series of photos uploaded on Instagram.
All three wore the number nine, which is presently unoccupied at Real Madrid.
Karim Benzema’s transfer to Saudi Arabia this summer has left the job at the Bernabeu vacant for the time being.
And it’s one that many expect Mbappe to fulfill, and it didn’t take long for some to make the connection.
Another wrote: “9 card? Its code or something?”
And this fan said: “Card number 9 in that last slide…. 9 white stripes in that hand.”
A fourth said: “9? REAL MADRID 9=? HERE GO TO REAL MADRID.”Whereas this fan went into depth, writing: “Ok lets analyse this. 3 in formation means 3 attackers.
“One on the left is black, means racism acts towards Vini so thats Vini.
“One on the right is hearts, surprise surprise…everyone loves Rodrygo.
“One in the centre is sharp like a diamond…obviously Kylian Mbappe with #9.”
While that might be a bit of a stretch, a move away from PSG looks on the cards.
However, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has kept his cards close to his chest, denying any speculation of a transfer by stating that he does not expect any further acquisitions.
“I think we are complete,” he said. “The new players are doing very well. Brahim [Diaz] and Joselu have shown that they can contribute to the team offensively.
“I think the team has a lot of attacking options to give us chances to score goals.”
After being asked specifically about Mbappe, donning his best pokerface, Ancelotti replied: “It doesn’t bother me when you ask me about him [Mbappe], but I’m not going to answer.”