Arsenal have reportedly entered the race alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid and other top clubs in the pursuit of Monaco prodigy Kylian Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe-Lottin broke into the Monaco first-team setup last season and managed to grab his first senior goal too in the 2015-16 season. The 17-year-old grabbed eyeballs with his direct style of play, with the media even comparing the French youngster to a fellow country legend who terrorised oppositions from the same position — Thierry Henry.
Talksport have claimed that Barcelona and Real Madrid have been monitoring the 17-year-old and are prepared to move for the player. The publication also revealed that there has been interest in the prodigy from the summer with Manchester City making an approach for the player only to withdraw their interest upon hearing of the £35m valuation of Mbappe by Monaco.
Calciomercato have now added that Arsenal have also entered the fray and are prepared to fight the Spanish heavyweights in order to secure his services. The Italian publication also stated that Juventus are eager to get their hands on the French wonderkid with club Sporting director Fabio Paratici already establishing contact with AS Monaco over a possible transfer for the player.
Mbappe has played only 49 minutes of Ligue 1 football this season and already has an assist to his name. The 17-year-old’s current deal is due to expire in 2019 and it is reported that the youngster is yet to hold talks with the club over a contract extension.
Read Arsenal transfer story – Arsenal linked with move for Celtic striker Moussa Dembele.
Monaco’s job of agreeing a new deal with the player could suffer majorly by the interest of such top clubs with defending French champions Paris Saint-Germain also eyeing the 17-year-old. The player is known for his agility and ability to run past defenders with ease, something which has brought forth comparisons with the Arsenal legend.
Henry had a hugely successful time at Arsenal scoring 174 goals in the Premier League and was a part of the historic Invincible squad that etched their names in footballing history with an unbeaten season.
Given that Henry arrived at Arsenal with potential and was a largely unknown entity then, Arsenal would be hoping to do the same with Mbappe in the hopes that the 17-year-old is able to emulate even a fraction, if not in entirety, the success of the legendary forward.
