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Arsenal get Kylian Mbappe’s candid warning amid transfer speculation
Reports have emerged of Kylian Mbappe believed to have chosen Arsenal as his English Premier League preferred destination.
Meanwhile, National Daily can confirm that Arsenal’s former striker Alan Smith has warned his old club about the perils of potentially shattering their wage structure to sign Kylian Mbappe.
The Paris Saint-Germain talisman has appeared destined to quit the Ligue 1 champions either this summer, or next.
And while Mbappe wants to remain at the French capital for another 12 months before completing a move to Real Madrid on a free trasfer, PSG want the striker to sign a new contract.
Missing out on a sizable fee for one of the world’s best players would, however, represent a major embarrassment for the French giants and Mbappe has already been warned he will not be allowed to depart on a Bosman upon the expiration of his contract.
‘My position is very clear and I will not repeat it every time,’ Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told a press conference last week. ‘We want Kylian to stay, but if he wants to stay, we want him to sign a new contract.
‘We don’t want to let the best player in the world go for free, it’s impossible. PSG is a French club, it’s his city, and he’s already said he doesn’t want to leave for free.
‘If today someone made him change his mind, it’s not my fault. I’ll say it again, we won’t let one of the best players in the world go for free, that’s very clear. I will not repeat.’
National Daily understands that move for Mbappe to Real has likely appeared inevitable, but reports last week claimed Mbappe will prefer Arsenal should he choose to move to the Premier League.
However, Smith fears that the addition of Mbappe could thwart Arteta’s efforts harmonize his team.
Smith fears that Mbappe arrival at the Emirates can destabilize the team togetherness
Speaking to Gambling Zone, Smith posited: ‘I would think that the chances of Mbappe joining Arsenal are extremely unlikely.
‘The money that it would take to sign him would be astronomical. I think the only place he can go is Real Madrid. I think that’s the only place and that is probably the place that he wants to go as well.
‘Financially, we know the club is run really well. I think Arsenal would be very conscious of the wage structure they have in place, which needs to be tightly controlled.
‘I would be very surprised if they were to smash that with the signing of Mbappe, as great as it would be to have him because he is one of the best players in the world. I don’t think it’s very likely (that he will join the club).’