Kylian Mbappe could end up at Real Madrid this summer in a £137million deal, but it could have been Arsenal receiving that fee rather than Paris Saint-Germain.
The France superstar is in the final year of his contract at the Parc des Princes and as much as they want him to stay, they risk losing him on a free transfer unless he is sold before the transfer window closes.
Not even the lure of playing with Lionel Messi and Neymar in a frightening front three is enough to stop him wanting to leave.
talkSPORT reported of Madrid’s huge bid to lure the 22-year-old to LaLiga.
PSG sporting director Leonardo claims they will not hold Mbappe back, but they consider Madrid’s bid ‘not sufficient’.
He was signed from Monaco in 2017 in a transfer worth £167.5million and the club want to recoup as much of that money as possible.
There are sure to be plenty of twists and turns in the saga before the window shuts, but what is clear is that Mbappe does not want to sign a new contract.
Things could have been so much different, though, as Arsenal almost signed him on a free transfer in 2016.
Then-manager Arsene Wenger visited him in an effort to lure him to north London. Unfortunately for the Gunners, he chose to stay at Monaco and signed for PSG the following year.
In an interview with BeIN Sports from 2017, 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.
“But I could understand it as well because he was educated there and at the end decided to stay there.”
Explaining his decision in 2018 to sign for PSG, Mbappe revealed: “I met with Arsene Wenger, who is a great coach. He has a great reputation here in France, he’s well-respected and knows how to develop young players. This was a real option for me.
“I dream of being managed by Arsene Wenger. He is French, he’s had a great career and now he is free because he has left Arsenal.
“We weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of all the clubs but my family told me it had to be my decision and one I needed to make.
“It also had to be a long-term decision. So it was up to me and I decided to come here in order to develop.”
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