Arsenal: New and improved Kylian Mbappe bid getting ridiculous

Arsenal are preparing a new and improved bid for Kylian Mbappe, per L’Equipe. However, the £120 million fee reported is getting a little ridiculous.

Arsenal made a fairly ridiculous and unbelievable £87 million off for Kylian Mbappe earlier in the summer transfer window. It had been something that had been postulated as a possibility; Arsene Wenger himself said that he would like to sign him but feared that he would be priced out. However, the bid was rejected and square one beckoned.

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Or at least that’s what we thought. Per another report from L’Equipe, a French newspaper that were the first outlet to reveal details of the initial offer, Arsenal are set to return with a new and improved offer for the Monaco forward, potentially reaching the £120 million mark.

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However, while it may be a report that brings hope and optimism to many fans, let me just temper expectations with a little context. Firstly, if this was to be a well-researched, trusted story, then it would be the first piece on L’Equipe’s paper, plastered across the back page for all the world to see, as the first story was a little over a week ago.

But that is not what happened. Instead, it was an excerpt, attached to another story in the paper, four or five pages into the sports’ section, hid away, almost as if it was tentatively placed there thanks to a lack of conviction regarding the accuracy and the validity of its claims. And, ultimately, that is exactly why it was ‘hidden’ from the public. Because there is little founding to the story.

Given the historical tendencies of Wenger and the club, it is likely that the news of the bid has been fabricated, either by a journalist or source. The offer would break the world transfer record significantly, topping the £100 million mark for the first time. It would also almost triple the Gunners’ club-record fee of £42 million, which was paid for Mesut Ozil in 2013.

While the possibility of signing Mbappe and sliding him into a squad bursting with creative, attacking flair is an enticing one, the price negates the probability of any move ever taking place. It simply does not align with the character of Wenger, the tendencies of the club and the way that the transfer market has been handled in recent history.

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Mbappe would be a tremendous addition. He is a wonderfully talented player. But I simply cannot see him at the Emirates next season, not with the prices that are being reported.