Can Arsene Wenger Really Sign Kylian Mbappe?

In many ways, it’s refreshing to see Arsenal go after Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe in the transfer market. At around £100 million for an 18-year-old striker, it’s the kind of bold move that the club have often been accused of shying away from in the past.

But there’s a big risk that comes with shooting for the biggest young star in Europe — especially if manager Arsene Wenger allows himself to be blinded by the promise of the teenage starlet and misses out on more realistic targets in the process.

Going all in for Mbappe will be seen as a master stroke if it pays off. If it doesn’t, the verdicts will range from naive to folly — especially if other top strikers on the market are snapped up by Arsenal’s rivals in the meantime.

That’s not to say the club shouldn’t be willing to take the risk. After all, signing Mbappe would solve so many problems for Arsenal in one stroke: The fan base would be instantly reinvigorated, the atmosphere at the Emirates would be improved and Wenger’s status would be lifted as well by proving that he’s still a manager who can attract the top young talent.

The club would show once and for all that they’re willing to shell out a world-record transfer fee for the right player, ending all suggestions that they are too frugal. And, most importantly, the team would finally have the striker they’ve needed for years. A player to step into the boots of the legendary Thierry Henry and make the club a serious Premier League title contender again.

But let’s face it, having the ambition to spend £100m or more on a top player means nothing without the ability to actually make the deal happen. And Arsenal remain underdogs in the Mbappe race, especially with clubs like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain joining the chase.

Wenger may be able to promise Mbappe a starring role right away, but other clubs can offer the promise of major trophies — something the player admitted was at the forefront of his mind. In addition, there’s still a good chance Monaco will refuse to sell at any price and hold on to their prized asset for at least another year.

Arsenal have had the ambition to sign a top striker several times in the past, only to miss out on the likes of Higuain, Benzema, Luis Suarez and Alexandre Lacazette. Last summer, the failure to close a deal for either Lacazette or Alvaro Morata meant Wenger had to settle for Deportivo’s Lucas Perez in the end — a player he then never gave a chance to make a real impact.

Now Morata seems set for Manchester United, joining the list of former Wenger targets who have gone on to move elsewhere. Lacazette, however, is still available — thanks largely to Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban — and, according to the Telegraph, Arsenal have been quoted a fee totalling £60m for the Lyon frontman.

That may be a hefty sum but is likely to be just less than half of what Mbappe would end up costing. And Lacazette is a player who may well have a bigger immediate impact than the 18-year-old as he’s already the finished article.

Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is another striker who would make Arsenal an instant contender. The rumour mill surrounding Aubameyang has been surprisingly quiet so far this summer — PSG discussions aside — but if there’s not much interest in him from other clubs, then perhaps Arsenal could take advantage.

If a deal can be done for either Aubameyang or Lacazette, Arsenal may be wise to drop the pursuit of Mbappe and “settle” for a signing that is perhaps the next best thing. The last thing the club needs is to spend most of the transfer window dreaming of a unicorn, only to be left empty handed once again come August. After all, we’ve seen that scenario play out many times in the past.

Sometimes a good solution is better than chasing the perfect one and ending up with nothing.