Arsenal have failed with a breathtaking world record €100m (£87.3m) bid to sign Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Mbappe, 18, has been heavily linked with record breaking moves to Manchester City and Real Madrid in the last week but now Arsenal are seriously interested in signing the Monaco wonderkid.
Arsene Wenger is expected to invest heavily into his Arsenal squad after resolving his own future by signing a new two-year deal earlier this week, but this move is hugely out of character from the veteran manager.
Arsenal have only ever spent more collectively through an entire campaign than what they are reportedly willing to outlay on Mbappe on two occasions during the 21 years Wenger has been in charge of the Gunners, illustrating what an unprecedented move this is for the 53-year-old.
Mbappe has already made it clear he would only consider leaving Monaco if he was promised regular first-team football and Wenger is ready to go beyond that and built his Arsenal team around the France international.
The teenager became the first player in Champions League history to score in his first four knockout stage matches, while also adding 15 goals in Ligue 1 during his breakthrough campaign. In fact, only Timo Werner (21) and Dele Alli (18) scored more goals of players aged 21 and under in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
For more stats on Kylian Mbappe, click here to visit his WhoScored player page