Arsenal transfer news continues to be
dominated by a move for Kylian Mbappe with Real Madrid the fiercest competitors
Arsene Wenger's hopes of signing Kylian Mbappe this summer could hinge on the Monaco
striker's World Cup aspirations.
Rumours over the weekend suggested Mbappe could potentially
remain at Monaco for another season ahead of the 2018 World Cup, with PSG said
to have entered the running alongside Arsenal and Real Madrid for the most coveted
young striker in world football.
Mbappe
would be more or less guaranteed of a place in Monaco's starting XI next
season, a luxury neither Real nor PSG would necessarily be able to offer.
A poll
on L'Equipe's website indicates that a staggering 97% of French football fans
want to see Mbappe included in the 23-man squad Didier Deschamps takes with him
to Russia, despite the fact he earned only his third cap when coming on in
France's World Cup qualifier defeat in Sweden at the weekend.
Antoine Griezmann was the only player to attract more
votes but Mbappe knows regular first-team football is a must if he is to
achieve a place in the squad.
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At
Real, he would be forced to compete with fellow French international Karim
Benzema and the imperious Cristiano Ronaldo, while Edinson Cavani would need
dislodging from the PSG frontline.
Arsenal's
best chance of landing a player who is unsure on which move to take next, could
be next summer's World Cup and the 18-year-old's determination to lead the line
for his country.
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"All
I want to do is play. I'm at an age where I have to play," Mbappe told
BeIn Sports in an interview.
"I'm
not 35 or 36 years old towards the end of my career or where I have to be
careful. I'm at an age where I have just started, I still have everything to
prove.
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"I'm
going to make my choices in terms of my sporting career, because the sporting
aspect comes above all the other parameters. Because today I think I'm at an
age when I need to play.
"I
performed well this year because I played. A player who doesn't play cannot
perform well. It's certain that that parameter will be primordial for my
future.
Mbappe's
relationship with Monaco and the club's supporters is one stumbling block for
Wenger, who has put Mbappe at the top of his transfer wishlist this summer.
The
striker's admission that Real boss Zinedine Zidane was his idol growing up is
another.
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Arsenal will hope a player, who Wenger has already visited at his
family home, will be enticed by Wenger's vision of him spearheading a potential
new-look attack and the opportunity to emulate another of his footballing
heroes in Thierry Henry.
Should
he prove a success at the Emirates, he would all but cement his place as part
of Deschamps' strikeforce in Russia.
Should he arrive, he will battle with the in-form Olivier Giroud at club and international level but would
also be more or less certain of a starting role.
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Wenger's track record of turning Nicolas Anelka and Henry into
world-class strikers will also have caught Mbappe's attention and a potential
world-record transfer will likely to come down to whether the Arsenal manager
still retains the pulling power which helped attract Mesut Ozil and Alexis
Sanchez to the
club.
Other
than rival interest, another obstacle to overcome for Arsenal in their pursuit
is convincing Mbappe to accept a season of Europa League football, while also
signing other players who can give them a shot at qualifying for the 2018/19
Champions League, either through winning the second European competition or a
return to the top four.
But it's impossible to ignore
how important the promise of being one of the first names on the teamsheet will
be.
The
alternative is the prospect of sitting on the bench at Real, with Ronaldo and
Benzema Zidane's favoured strike pairing.
Should Mbappe complete a world
record move to the Spanish champions, his chances of usurping Griezmann and
others will be harmed.
And that is likely to form much
of Arsenal's negotiations for his services.
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