Arsenal will hand Kylian Mbappe a central striking role if snubs Real Madrid to move to North London.
According to Rob Draper of the Daily Mail, Arsenal are prepared to hand £85 million-rated Kylian Mbappe a number nine role if he chooses to move to North London and turn a cold shoulder on the approaches made by Real Madrid, who have reportedly agreed a deal with him.
The 18-year-old is one of Europe’s hottest prospects, and his performances with the AS Monaco first team have shown why the top sides from the continent are all keeping an eye on him, hoping to lure him away from France.
At such a tender age, Mbappe has reached the heights many promising strikers failed to in their entire career. Despite being only a teenager, he possesses a certain amount of maturity on and off the ball, and could easily make most of the top European clubs’ first team.
One such side that have been keeping an eye on him are Premier League giants Arsenal. The mood is far from jovial at the Emirates Stadium as the fans are facing the prospect of losing their key players in the summer, while manager Arsene Wenger’s future hangs in the balance.
The Frenchman has got Arsenal into the Champions League for the last 18 seasons, but it now seems a tough ask as Manchester City and Liverpool are expected to seal the remaining two qualifying berths.
A top four finish did not seem improbable at the start of the season when Alexis Sanchez was bagging in goals left, right and centre. Playing as a number nine, the Chilean was leading the goal-scoring charts of the league, and it was all sunshine and rainbows at the Emirates.
However, the Gunners slumped come the end of 2016, and have failed to completely get themselves out of that rut. Due to this, Sanchez is unlikely to sign an extension, leaving the club in dire straits to sign a striker.
Step up Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is a target of Real Madrid, and will prefer moving there as they will guarantee him Champions League football. He will also play with world-class talent at the Bernabeu, which will help him take his career to the next level.
That being said, Mbappe is unlikely to break into the first team, and will have to bid his time on the sidelines for at least one season. Arsenal are thus, looking to capitalise on this, and are willing to guarantee him a number nine role in the first team.
Olivier Giroud has failed to impress playing as the focal point of the Gunners attack, while Danny Welbeck’s perpetual injury concerns rule him out of contention for being Arsenal’s number one strike option.
Mbappe could easily fit into the Arsenal first team and help them return to the Champions League two seasons later. It will also be a proud moment for the fans as they will see their club beat a number of clubs to secure the services of a transfer target.
