THE FUSE

Despite Real finishing second to Barcelona in La Liga and exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the second year running, Perez has refused to point the finger at Mbappe. The French forward, who still has a chance to win the Liga Golden Boot and will almost certainly win the top scorer award in the Champions League, has faced intense scrutiny as the team fell short in both domestic and European competitions. Perez is also reported to be privately frustrated with the striker's behaviour during his recent injury layoff.