Arsène Wenger’s first act in the latest chapter of his long tenure at Arsenal has been to make a bid for Kylian Mbappé, the highly coveted striker, according to reports in France.
If so, it was a bid with little chance of succeeding and Monaco refused to consider it — but it does herald a —summer of rumour, counter-rumour and audacity at the north London club as Wenger seeks to prove that he can keep star names and attract new ones to his club.
However, following Antoine Griezmann’s hints that he will stay at Atletico Madrid, Mbappé is the attacker most clubs would love to capture this summer. Wenger had hoped that his sales pitch would sway the Paris-born player and involved reassurances that, while Real Madrid might struggle to fit him into the team, he would be the focal point for the Arsenal side.
Wenger’s move was bold but open to ridicule. He cannot offer Mbappé Champions League football and if it became clear that the striker was open to offers then several clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, would easily be able to outbid a club known for being far more conservative with how it spends its money.
While Arsenal were last night not confirming that an offer had been made, L’Equipe states that Arsenal made a €100 million (about £87 million) bid for the player.
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The “offer” was rejected by the French champions who have, in the face of much speculation, maintained that Mbappé, 18, would benefit from at least another season with them.
Securing a high-profile signing, especially in the wake of Monaco spurning a €120 million bid for Mbappé from Real Madrid, would have boosted enormously the start of Wenger’s renewed contract of employment at Arsenal, although the board may have wondered at the sense of spending huge sums when the manager had identified Mbappé as a target a year ago and taken the trouble then to speak to the youngster in his home about a move to North London.
Far from Monaco’s rejection marking a humiliating brush-off, reports linking Arsenal to the most exciting young talent in Europe can only serve to boost the club on several levels. It shows that Wenger is prepared to spend big and take risks.
It also shows those players thinking of leaving the Emirates — most notably Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez — that the club possess ambition and it sends out the message to those fans who were so vociferous in their desire for Wenger to leave this summer that attitudes are on the cusp of changing.
The club who do eventually secure the services of Mbappé will justifiably claim a coup.
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The teenager scored 15 goals as Monaco glittered on their way to sealing the Ligue 1 title and added 15 assists and was integral to the team’s flamboyant and attractive style. All eyes had been on which club Antoine Griezmann would sign for but after his decision to stay at Atletico Madrid, Mbappé, who has two caps for France, is the attacker clubs would most love to capture this summer.
Wenger presumably hoped that his sales pitch would sway the Paris-born player and would have involved reassurances that while Real Madrid, his stated club of choice, may struggle to fit him into the team, he would be the focal point for the Arsenal side. At the time of revealing that he had visited Mbappé at his home last year, Wenger said: “The player would tell you that I was at his home last year to try to get him here because he was at the end of [his] contract, but Monaco managed to keep him and the decision was very, very tight.
Key stat
100
minutes per league goal for Kylian Mbappé last season — the best ratio for any teenager in the top five European leagues
“But I could understand it as well because he was educated there and at the end decided to stay there.”
Asked if Arsenal still have a chance of signing him, Wenger said: “I don’t know, that is down to him. He will decide where he goes, because he can say Real Madrid maybe, Barcelona maybe, Arsenal, Manchester — he can go where he wants.”
If Wenger has made such a bold is open to ridicule. The Frenchman cannot offer Mbappé Champions League football next season and if it became clear that the striker was seriously open to offers then several clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, would easily be able to outbid Arsenal, a club known for being far more conservative with how they prefer to allocate their resources.
