Arsene Wenger has revealed his attempts to sign Kylian Mbappe for Arsenal and the reason behind the Frenchman’s rejection of the Gunners.
Wenger publicly discussed going to see Mbappe’s parents in an attempt to persuade them to switch from first club Monaco to Arsenal. The family ultimately chose to remain in their current location, despite Liverpool and Real Madrid’s interest as well.
The kid was 17 years old and made his senior debut with Monaco in 2016, which is when Arsenal made their approach. The following year, an old photo of Mbappe from 2004 that showed him donning a yellow Arsenal shirt went viral.
However, he completed a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain later that year with a €180 million buy obligation. Real Madrid officially revealed the worst-kept secret in sport earlier this month when they made his signing public.
Arsene Wenger reveals ‘almost’ done deal with Mbappe
“It was a footballing blow, and an obvious one too. Seeing a photo [of Mbappe wearing an Arsenal shirt], hurts my heart a little,” Wenger told French broadcaster TF1.
“I went to his parents and tried to convince them. At the time, he was a little shy, people were starting to ask him for his first autographs in Monaco. At the beginning of your career, you don’t have too much pressure at the start and they managed to persuade him to extend it by promising him that he would play more easily at Monaco than at Arsenal, Liverpool or Real Madrid. We can say that his parents advised him well and that he made the right decision.”
Mbappe, who boasts of a World Cup win, is eager to take France to victory in the European Championship in the upcoming weeks as captain. Les Bleus will begin their campaign against Austria, on June 17th. But once Madrid turned down his request to play for France at the Olympics, he was robbed of the chance to have a long summer of international football.
All eyes will be on the Frenchman once again as he looks to further cement his legacy in football.
