Kylian Mbappé stands on the verge of a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
According to reports, PSG are set to sign the 18-year-old on a season-long loan with the obligation to buy him for a fee of £166m next summer.
Mbappé was widely tipped for a move away from Monaco throughout the second half of last season after a series of eye-catching displays for the club – both en route to a Champions League semi-final and as they won the Ligue 1 title for the first time in nearly two decades.
At one stage, it seemed Real Madrid was his most likely destination, although several English clubs were also reportedly interested.
One of those clubs was, of course, Arsenal. Speaking in March, Arsene Wenger revealed that he’d approached the player as a 17-year-old having recognised his potential to be a world-class player.
“I approached him last year because I really believe that he has an exceptional future ahead of him, that he has all the qualities,” Wenger had said.
“He reminds me of a young Thierry Henry with the same clever look about him, the same qualities of intelligence in his movements and cat-like finishing. So that’s why.”
Obviously, Wenger’s attempts to bring Mbappé to London were unsuccessful. Now, not yet 24-hours on from Arsenal’s Anfield mauling, Guillem Balague has decided to shed some light on why Wenger missed out on the French international.
A tweet from the Spanish football journalist claims that the Arsenal boss did indeed hold discussions with the player and his family about a move to London. However, Wenger decided against the move after the family asked for ‘€7-8m commission’.
18 months ago Wenger met Mbappé, when 17, and his family. They wanted a commission of €7-8m to go to Arsenal and logically Wenger said no pic.twitter.com/qZ6vXSJdn3
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 28, 2017
The rest was history. Mbappé exploded onto the scene last season, establishing himself as one of the most exciting goal scorers in world football. Not for the first time, Arsenal fans will wonder what might have been.
