Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane? Real Madrid’s big striker decision is a no-brainer - the PSG superstar is the only man to fill Karim Benzema’s boots this summer

The interest in Kane is, of course, understandable. On some levels, the England captain could be a better signing. If Madrid are to look for a direct Benzema replacement, Kane is the closest thing in European football that can match his skill set. Kane is, in fact, better at Benzema than a lot of the signature Benzema things.

Kane's youth career is a bit apocryphal these days. Once a No.10, he morphed into a striker rather late, and never lost those signature playmaking genes. It's a narrative that has perhaps been a bit overblown by the press. It is allowed to remark that 'Kane is a pretty good passer.' But the origin story is far sexier.

So, here we have a well-rounded striker, who scores a lot, grabs assists, and has a track record of working with pacey wingers. There are clear parallels to be drawn between the way Kane and Son Heung-Min function to the quick interchanges of Benzema and Vinicius Jr.

And there is, of course, the finishing ability. Kane is on track to break the Premier League's all-time goal-scoring record. At 30-years-old, and with 213 to his name, he could eclipse Alan Shearer within two years. 300 is not entirely out of the question. That is, objectively, quite a lot of goals. Benzema scored 0.67 goals per 90 minutes for Madrid. Kane has scored 0.72 for Tottenham. If it's a new, potentially better, Benzema Madrid are after, Kane is the way to go.

As it turns out, though, this isn't all that simple. If Kane was taken as a goalscoring and footballing entity, Madrid would have their man. But, as ever, there are some mitigating factors. The biggest are perhaps Kane's ankles. The England striker has been plagued with various ligament problems for years now and seems to pick up a knock every season. These days, those various injuries don't keep him sidelined; he is far too important to Spurs to stay on the bench. Instead, like Neymar for PSG, Kane tends to play through the ailments, forcing himself onto the pitch.

His age is perhaps of slight concern, too. At 29, Kane isn't exactly ancient, but having a series of foot injuries before hitting that footballing doom that is one's 30th birthday doesn't bode well. Footballers, usually strikers, tend to age reasonably well these days - Benzema won the Ballon d'Or at 34. But injuries add up over time. No matter how good medical departments are, or how incisive surgeons can be, fitness issues remain.

There's also the cautionary tales of English players abroad here. The last English striker to play for the Spanish giants was Michael Owen. The former Liverpool man was perhaps unfortunate to arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu when he did. Owen had spent a year struggling with various injury problems and was competing with Raul and Ronaldo for minutes in the side. He still scored 26 goals in 45 games but when Newcastle United offered him regular football in the season leading up to the 2006 World Cup, the former Ballon d'Or winner jumped at the chance to return to England.

Kane is a more complete player than Owen, and far more suited to the side that he would step into. But the Spanish game is different from the English one. Kane's potential adaptation won't be easy, and Madrid fans aren't exactly known for their patience - especially when it comes to foreign players. Kane would need to score goals, and do it quickly.

So, Mbappe. It is far too simplistic to say that Mbappe is simply just a better footballer (although that is, in fact, true.) Rather, Mbappe is transformative, the kind of player that doesn't need to be Benzema because he will simply surpass him. The 24-year-old has won five straight Ligue 1 Golden Boots, has a World Cup to his name, and is already PSG's all-time leading goalscorer. If he continues at his current rate, he could conceivably retire having found the net 600 times for club and country. That would make him one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.

And then, there's the spectacle of it all, too. Mbappe scampers and cuts. He dodges and darts. This isn't a ruthlessly efficient player so much as a chance-creating machine.

There is also a sense that some players can be contained. Kane can be kept away from goal, perhaps shown into inopportune spaces. Mbappe, and all his pace and power, is far harder to stop. Even for PSG - where is routinely man-marked - he averaged just shy of a goal per game. Throw in his 95 career assists, and you have a complete footballer, albeit in a different way.

A step up is also needed here. Mbappe is by some distance the highest earner in Ligue 1, and spends large stretches of the season looking like it. He sort of strolls around, operating in camera flashes and snapshots. There is little else for him to accomplish in a PSG shirt - outside of the elusive Champions League trophy that will likely never come to Paris. Nantes can only offer so much competition. Mbappe is simply too good to stagnate, but Madrid would make him even better.

And then, there's the sentiment. Madrid have been smart in the transfer market in recent years. The remodelling of the Santiago Bernabeu tightened the Madrid purse, and kept them away from any massive signings. Inadvertently, though, it might just have set the club up for a big summer now. Los Blancos haven't had a gaudy transfer window for a while (perhaps the €115m spent on Eden Hazard made the club reluctant to go after an established star.)

But that has changed within the first two weeks of the window. Jude Bellingham has already arrived and club president Florentino Perez has promised that more signings are on the way. Perhaps, then, it's time for the transfer war chest to open.

And why not evoke the Galactico era for a player this good? Mbappe is a childhood Madrid fan who idolised Cristiano Ronaldo. He has made no secret of his desire to play for the club. Never has there been a player among the best in the world who so openly covets playing for another team.

Mbappe has been pining for a move ever since he wrote an absolutely-not autobiographical story in which a boy named 'Kylian' plays for Real Madrid. The Frenchman tried playing for his hometown side in Paris. But after five years, it still doesn't feel right. Mbappe and Madrid are sort of meant to happen. This is, of course, bad news for the rest of football. But there is an undeniable sense of inevitability at play here.

Mbappe is a rare breed of footballer that has been 21 for roughly six years. That he is actually 24 - and will hit his 25th birthday midway through the season - is of little concern, though. If Madrid are to sign Mbappe, they will get a player on the precipice of his prime, a supremely talented footballer a year or two away from reaching his peak. It is not often that such a thing happens. It's even more rare that the player is among the best in the world.

That signature would also come at a particularly opportune time. Madrid are in the midst of building a frighteningly good young squad. Their collection of players under 23 includes Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni and Rodrygo. Federico Valverde, meanwhile, is practically archaic at 24.

Mbappe, then, will evolve with this unit. It is admittedly unlikely that Madrid hang on to every single one of their future world-class players, but Mbappe has the chance to be central to a side that will surely be among the best in the world for the next five years - and possibly longer.

Madrid could do a lot worse than signing Kane. The England striker is the most complete forward in the Premier League, and a consensus top-five striker in the world. There is a niggling feeling, too, that he could be even better if he played in an elite-level team. Tottenham would want a lot of money, but Kane would surely make Madrid La Liga favourites immediately and put them back into the Champions League conversation.

Mbappe isn't as perfect. In Vinicius, Madrid already have a bonafide world class left-winger. The French forward, meanwhile, has made it clear that he cannot stand playing as a central striker. And unfortunately, Madrid likely won't sign 37-year-old Olivier Giroud to partner him up front. This might be awkward for a few weeks, then. Vinicius and Mbappe will have the urge to run into the same spaces, to exploit the same angles. They are too intelligent to simply get in the way of each other, but attacking fluidity is far from a guarantee here.

Still, Mbappe has the benefit of time. He can grow and evolve, and under Carlo Ancelotti, he will be forced to. If there was ever a coach to create a nurturing environment for a player that needs both pandering to and telling off, it's the Madrid manager. He will survive multiple iterations of this team, and be immediately put in a side where he can win on a European stage - something PSG could never quite guarantee. This is, truly, a deal to benefit both player and club. Kane can't quite say the same.

If Kane is the player to sign for Benzema-led Madrid 2.0, Mbappe is the arrival to change everything for the better, and build a new footballing machine in the Spanish capital.