Arsenal appear to be in pole position to sign Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe this summer with Real Madrid reluctant to pay up a world-record fee for the teenager. The 18-year-old had a standout season with the Principality outfit last term as he racked 26 goals across all competitions.
As a result, his interest has increased among the Europe’s elite with Arsenal and Real Madrid said to be vying for his signature ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to The Sun h/t ABC, the Gunners are in the driving seat to secure the teenage sensation with Los Blancos unlikely to cough up more than £75m for the marksman.
Real Madrid are currently discussing the possibility of offloading Alvaro Morata in the summer, but this is unlikely to influence them to increase their bid for Mbappe.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was spotted alongside chief Ivan Gazidis in Nice earlier this month, and the pair seem to have held discussions with the Ligue 1 champions to pull off the deal.
Mesut Ozil is the Gunners’ record signing to date at £42.5m, and the £120m pursuit of Mbappe still comes as a huge surprise, given the player is yet to prove his qualities in the bigger leagues .
The FA holders also have Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette on their summer shortlist as they plan for life after Alexis Sanchez, who is reluctant to ink contractual terms beyond 2018.
Arsenal have already recruited Bosnian full-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer, and the club are keen to wrap up their transfer business well ahead of the new season.
