Just over a month ago, we relayed a story from Mercato365 regarding Arsenal’s failed attempts at signing Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappé.
The Gunners were apparently in ‘very advanced’ negotiations for the now 18-year-old, and rather inexplicably pulled out at the last minute.
However, if Le10 Sport in France are to be believed, things went a little bit further than that.
Arsenal, as tends to be the case for young French talent, were the first on the scene, wanting to bring in Mbappé last year prior his breakthrough season.
In fact, they were so keen on signing the young talent, a meeting between the forward and Arsène Wenger is reported to have taken place.
According to the French magazine, the Arsenal manager left a very good impression on Mbappé, but things have since gone pear-shaped.
No one could have fully predicted how much of an impact the youngster would have on both Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, and the Gunners have simply been left behind.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid are now said to be the favourites to sign Mbappé in the upcoming transfer window, with Arsenal extremely unlikely to match Monaco demands of €100m+.
After all, Arsène Wenger has never spent more than £50m on a player, and even if there is a managerial change in the summer, the Arsenal board most certainly open their chequebook willy nilly.
They have a profitable financial model to adhere to…
