Arsenal have been given a boost in their potential move for Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer next summer. The French international will see his contract with PSG come to an end and despite the World Cup winner continuing to feature for the Parisians there is no sign of a potential renewal.
The assumption had been that the main candidate to snap up the forward would be Real Madrid. The Spanish capital club has baulked at the player’s wage proposals, according to the national outlet Cadenaser.
The Frenchman would be seeking a wage reported more than double what Jude Bellingham is potentially on at Los Blancos. The former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund star has been smashing his first season in Spain, scoring twice in his first El Clasico to win the tie in Barcelona.
However, despite Madrid being the likeliest candidate for Mbappe and seemingly now out of the race, it still seems able impossible to imagine the Gunners being to afford the 24-year-old even without the additional issue of a transfer fee attached to all the other financial obstacles the club faces in any deal.
I discussed the idea of what would need to happen for the Gunners to land Mbappe when the news arrived that Al Hilal had offered €300million (£261million) to sign him in July. These numbers immediately ruled out the idea of Mikel Arteta and Edu having any hope of landing the player.
However, with no new contract agreed upon and the most likely destination for a free transfer out the window, has this changed? Well, there remains a number of barriers which would prevent any deal.
Thinking back only to the previous summer window and Arsenal signed David Raya on loan with an option to buy from Brentford for a total package amounting to the region of £30million. There were plenty of suggestions that Financial Fair Play had an influence on the deal not being immediately permanent.
If the Gunners cannot secure a permanent deal for a player for just £30million, what are the chances they could meet the demands of a deal for Mbappe? Yes, you’re right, incredibly small and that might be generous.
Arsenal’s hopes of landing a striker in the summer are relatively well-documented at this stage, however, the idea of Mbappe being that player – even with the latest news – remains wild. A fan can dream though right?