Kylian Mbappe is very much the man of the moment after his impressive performances for AS Monaco saw him find a way into Didier Deschamps France squad. Deschamps has a lot of options upfront and Mbappe faces strong competition but he’s pushed aside the likes of Anthony Martial to get a place in the selection.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made no secret of his admiration for the youngster, and in Wednesday’s edition of Marca the Premier League club are put forward as competition for any Spanish sides who want to make the signing.
Marca estimate that Mbappe’s price could already be up to €90m, perhaps including add-ons, and former Athletic Club Bilbao and PSG coach Luis Fernandez is quoted as saying the 18 year old could end up being better than Thierry Henry.
Normally, €90m would see Arsenal out of the game. The club have excellent finances but it’s just not considered likely they’d pay such a fee. But perhaps this one could be different.
Should Wenger continue for a further season, the club may want to see him go out with a bang, and more pointedly make sure his successor has a good base to work on and can secure that all important Champions League football every year.
Arsenal likely wouldn’t have to pay Mbappe the sort of wages big transfers like Paul Pogba demand, which means the overall cost of the deal wouldn’t be quite as prohibitive. Such a huge signing in the summer would lift many of the clouds around Arsenal and give an optimistic slant on a potential Wenger swan-song.
€50m/€60m for Alexandre Lacazette, who turns 26 years of age in May, or a structured deal worth up to €90m for Mbappe, who doesn’t turn 19 until December? If the player continues his current form until the end of the season then the latter could be better value for Arsenal.
