Arsenal and Tottenham are both interest in Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe, but French reports suggest it would take a record-breaking fee to land him.
Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe scores against Montpellier
According to L’Equipe, Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe could cost up to €80million (£68million) as clubs queue up for his signature.
Mbappe, 18, has come up through the ranks with Monaco having joined from AS Bondy in 2013 via the famed Clairefontaine academy, and he has emerged as one of the top young talents in world football.
The pacey striker became Monaco’s youngest-ever goalscorer by finding the net against Troyes in February 2016, but this season has been his breakout campaign.
Mbappe has hit 11 goals in just 25 games this season, including a recent hat-trick against Metz, and he is set to play a major role for Leonardo Jardim’s side against Manchester City this evening.
Ahead of that game, speculation surrounds Mbappe’s future. Unsurprisingly, a number of top clubs are keen to land the teenage attacker, as L’Equipe report that Arsenal and Tottenham are interested, as well as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
However, the report states that Mbappe could cost up to €80m (£68million), which would shatter the world record for the most expensive teenager in history.
Kylian Mbappe in action for Monaco against CSKA Moscow
Anthony Martial set the record in 2015 by leaving Monaco for Manchester United in a deal eventually worth £58million (BBC Sport), and Monaco could be involved in another record-breaking deal should Mbappe move on for £68million.
That fee may put off a number of clubs, as it’s hard to see Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy sanctioning such a deal, especially with Spurs’ new stadium on the way, whilst that fee would smash Arsenal’s transfer record too.
Other clubs may try to reach Monaco’s demands, with the Ligue 1 leaders seemingly using Martial’s deal as an example, and with Mbappe more highly-rated than Martial was at the time of his move, few could blame Monaco for demanding such a huge fee.
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