Arsenal have received a boost in their pursuit of AS Monaco’s star striker Kylian Mbappe as the youngster has reportedly expressed that he is open to a move.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Kylian Mbappe is open to join Arsenal this summer after being heavily pursued by the club.
Mbappe has every top club across Europe lining up for him if he chooses to leave Monaco, but the young striker is keen on an Arsenal move because of Arsene Wenger’s previous track-record for developing and nurturing young talent.
The 18-year-old still has two years left on his current contract with AS Monaco. He made quite the impact last season as he functioned brilliantly in a young Monaco team and put up winning performances which made almost every manager sit up and take note of his talent.
In 40 appearances across all competitions, Mbappe has scored 24 goals and played a crucial role in helping Monaco secure the Ligue 1 title ahead of French giants Paris Saint-Germain. The club fared well even in the prestigious Champions League and Mbappe received plenty of praise for his electrifying performances.
A player like him is not something any club would want to lose and Monaco appear to be extremely cautious about letting him go. Recent reports suggested that they rejected a €120 million offer from La Liga champions Real Madrid since they want around €130 or €140 million for Mbappe.
However, a price tag in that range might make things difficult for Wenger. When it comes to the transfer window, Arsenal have always been criticized for Wenger’s over-cautiousness and reluctance to spend big. While Mbappe does seem to offer everything Arsenal need in a striker, the price tag alone might cause them to lose out on a deal.
If that happens, Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette and Mbappe’s Monaco team-mate Thomas Lemar will be more likely targets for the Gunners but even those deals this can cause a strain upon Arsenal’s current wage-bill.
Having said that, several players like Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud are expected to leave this summer and that will potentially free up their funds in order to secure better deals, so a move to sign Mbappe might largely depend on the futures of Arsenal’s current players.