Arsenal are preparing to smash their record transfer fee this summer by going after one of Europe’s most talked about players.
The Gunners have made an official opening offer of £87million for AS Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe, a player who Arsene Wenger has had history with.
Arsenal fans took the breaking new by French media outlet L’Equipe on Thursday night with a pinch of salt, but a number of reliable journalists have stepped forward to confirm the bid is genuine.
According to London Evening Standard’s James Olley, the club are looking to make a marquee signing early on in the transfer window to get the fans back on side.
That would send a huge statement of intent to our Premier League rivals, as well as show the doubters that officials within the Gunners want to change the way they go about business off the pitch.
Anyway, back to Mbappe. Real Madrid submitted a £105million offer just last month that was promptly turned down by Monaco, who want to keep hold of him for one more season.
What makes Arsenal’s bid a little different is the way it’s broken down, offering more money up-front, fewer add-ons and a lot of performance-related bonuses.
Monaco were contacted by Sky Sports News on Friday morning but refused to comment on the business between them and the Gunners.
The Ligue 1 side have rejected the offer but it’s believed Arsenal have prioritised Mbappe because it’s a player Wenger can build the squad around.
Having recently signed a two-year extension, Wenger made a visit to Mbappe’s house last season in an attempt to convince him to join the Premier League.
It’s no secret that Mbappe wants to end up at the Galactico’s that are Real Madrid, but he could use Arsenal as a stepping stone to improve his game even further.
This is certainly a deal that will excite Arsenal fans across the country, and if it should fall through the club are willing to meet Lyon’s asking price of £52million for Alexandre Lacazette.
Keep up to date with the latest on this story and many more by following us on Twitter and Facebook!