Arsenal: Kylian Mbappe increasingly a dream rather than reality

Kylian Mbappe has stated that he sees the Champions League as the pinnacle of club football. With each passing moment, an Arsenal transfer seems more and more like a dream than a reality.

There was a moment, earlier in the summer, when there was a possibility that Arsenal would break the world record for a transfer fee. I know, it’s as crazy as it sounds. The man who they were set to splash such outrageous sums of money on was Kylian Mbappe, an 18-year-old sensation ripping up the South Coast of France.

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But, as is ever the case with Arsene Wenger and his phobia of spending money, whenever reports of him set to take the plunge in the murky transfer waters emerge, rarely does he actually take the all-important step off of the cliff. And this is seemingly yet another missed opportunity.

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Arsenal are far from the only team interested in Mbappe and his ferocious service. Real Madrid, Manchester United and even Liverpool have all been rumoured to be interested in the player, some having made bids, others just pondering the possibility. As such, the focus turns to Mbappe and, at 18, what he would like to achieve in his career, in the hope that his answer may shed light on where his preferred destination may be. His answer is not the most promising for the Gunners:

"“[The Champions League] is a dream, a competition that everyone wants to win and that only a minority can win – the most important are the titles. That would be much more of an obsession for me than the Ballon d’Or, for example. I want to touch the stars and, when you dream, you do not dream of playing the middle of the table or maintaining it.”"

Now, just because he wants to win the Champions League, a competition that Arsenal are no longer in, does not mean that we will not be seeing him in red in North London next season. But it certainly does not bolster their pursuit of the summer’s shining star.

Moreover, the comments tend to lend themselves well to the prevailing narrative: a bid was made; a bid was rejected; the price became too high; the move was off. That is, per reports, also the private feeling of Wenger, who is pessimistic regarding his chances of completing a deal for the most-wanted man in football.

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Mbappe was a dream. But the reality is that any move is highly unlikely. It may well be time for the club to start searching for alternative options, however underwhelming that may be.