GOAL - James Westwood

Dani Carvajal has expressed his desire to link up with Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid, insisting that the world's best players "should be plying their trade" in the Spanish capital.

At just 20 years of age, Mbappe already has the world at his feet, having enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence over the last four seasons.

The France international burst onto the scene as a teenager at Monaco, helping the club win the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title, before sealing a loan move to PSG.

Mbappe made the switch to Parc des Princes permanent in 2018, before playing a key role in France's World Cup-winning campaign in Russia where he even found the net in their final victory over Croatia.

The mercurial attacker has since helped PSG continue to dominate the footballing landscape in his homeland, attracting attention from some of Europe's biggest clubs in the process.

Mbappe continues to be linked with a future move to Madrid after a summer of intense speculation and has reportedly stalled on the idea of a new PSG contract in order to make a transfer more likely.

Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the young forward , whose relationship with PSG boss Thomas Tuchel has shown signs of strain lately, not least when Mbappe ignored him after being substituted against Montpellier last weekend.

Blancos defender Carvajal would certainly not be against Mbappe moving to the Spanish capital, as he told reporters at a promotional event on Thursday: "We've obviously all seen what he can do.

"He's one of the top players around and it would be good [to play alongside him], because this is a club where the best players should be plying their trade."

Carvajal was speaking ahead of a difficult week for Madrid, who face Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday before next Wednesday's Clasico with Barcelona at Camp Nou.

That fixture was due to take place in October but was rearranged after concerns over political unrest in Catalunya.

Security issues remain an issue ahead of the game, while it is expected that a large banner encouraging dialogue over the issue of Catalan independence will be displayed by a protest group in the stands.

Carvajal is keen for authorities to ensure the match goes ahead safely, but he insists he is only concerned with getting three points.

"We're calm. We want it to be played with the maximum guarantees of security. We don't know if it was a mistake to rearrange it," said the full-back.

"I want to go to Camp Nou and win. The rest doesn't bother me.

"It's a very important, beautiful week for us and we're going to try to make it three [wins] from three.

"We have fewer hours of rest than Barcelona and after a demanding game like at Mestalla, it can show in your legs."