Ex-Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has urged his former club to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2021.
Mbappe will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the current campaign and could be available at a relatively affordable price should PSG be willing to sell and a new deal not be agreed.
The 21-year-old has been on Madrid's radar since his breakthrough at Monaco aged 16 and he continues to be linked with them as they aim to fill the hole left by Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus in 2018.
Calderon says Mbappe would have a similar impact to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in the Spanish capital should he be bought in the coming months.
"Without a doubt, Mbappe is the player most desired by all and it would be great news for our team," Calderon told Goal.
"He is a player who, being very young, has already managed to attract the attention of all the fans and presumably his best moment is yet to come.
"What the big clubs always need is to have the best players in their primes, regardless of their age."
While Madrid held off the challenge of Barcelona to grind out a Spanish title win last season, they have not been the same team since Ronaldo departed for Serie A.
Galactico signing Eden Hazard has not managed to recapture his Chelsea form while Zinedine Zidane's side have been unable to make up for the loss of Ronaldo's goals in the two years since his sale.
"That attitude and his natural conditions make him unbeatable," Calderon said of Ronaldo. "Without a doubt, he is an example for young people who aspire to succeed in the sport.
"The player understood that it [joining Real Madrid] was a great opportunity to advance his career and obtain titles and earn personal recognition.
"He was not wrong, he achieved four Ballons d'Or and four Champions League titles, and set records in terms of goals scored in several seasons. Something within reach of very few people.
"It was a big mistake by the current president [Florentino Perez] to sell him for €110m ($133m/£99m) after nine years in the team. It is a pity because he is showing in Italy that he is still one of the best in the world."
The Calderon era lasted for three years, between 2006-09, and ended just before Ronaldo's transfer from Manchester United was confirmed. But the acquisition that offered the most value for money in the eyes of the 69-year-old came in the shape of another ex-Manchester United forward.
Ruud van Nistelrooy netted 64 goals in 96 games for Los Blancos during his four years at Madrid, and Calderon remains proud of the deal that was done to bring him from Old Trafford to Santiago Bernabeu.
"It is never easy to hire a major player, but it was surprisingly easy and very cheap to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester United," he says. "We only paid €12m ($14m/£11m) for him and, without a doubt, he was one of the best performers for the team.
"He is a great person, good team-mate, a leader of the dressing room and an extraordinary player. He helped us a lot to win two consecutive leagues and a Super Cup, having not won a single title in three years."
Saturday's home defeat at the hands of Alaves was Madrid's third loss of the current league campaign. Having not spent a penny on signings over the summer, Zidane's side sit fourth in La Liga, seven points adrift of surprise leaders Real Sociedad.
Their lack of business in the off-season has been blamed for their disappointing form, but Calderon believes that the redevelopment of the Bernabeu means that the club needed to save funds this year but he is nonetheless still backing them to finish the campaign with silverware.
"The remodelling project of our stadium, with an investment that may cost close to one billion euros, is conditioning the playing staff," he concludes.
"In any case, we already have very good players and I do not doubt that we will be in the fight to get all the titles in which we participate."
