Arsenal: £123 million Kylian Mbappe offer unbelievable, literally

Marca are proclaiming that Arsenal have lodged a £123 million offer for Kylian Mbappe. The report is absolutely unbelievable, quite literally.

Entering the summer transfer window, there was a tentative hope that Arsene Wenger would finally be willing to spend the money that he and the board have promised for so many seasons. Given the forward nature of their public statements after agreeing to a new two-year deal, Arsenal, Wenger, Stan Kroenke and Ivan Gazidis were duty bound to prove their words true, rather than mere PR speak.

That tentative hope has since blossomed into an expectation. That is because of the club-record addition of Alexandre Lacazette, who was signed in a sensational £52 million deal. That was proof that not only is there money available, but that there is a will on behalf of Wenger and the board.

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And now that Lacazette is here, there is a demand and a want for more. Unfortunately, more is not necessarily possible. While money is available, there is only a limited amount, especially when it comes to the wage structure. The Gunners are unusual in that they pay a wide range of players a fairer wage, rather than ploughing the majority of their wages into one or two stars.

While it is neither a right nor wrong approach, it does mean that, given the substantial size and depth of the squad, they are currently shelling out a significant amount on wages. In fact, only Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United spend more on wages than the Gunners, and that is primarily because of big-money earners like Paul Pogba, Yaya Toure and Eden Hazard.

For Arsenal, there is little chance that they would be able to add another high-profile player to the squad without selling several others. Moreover, they are equally unlikely to shell out massive amounts on another addition.

It is in this context that I provide you with the latest Kylian Mbappe rumour: the Gunners have made a £123 million offer. That report comes from Spanish publication Marca and is, in all honesty, quite unbelievable. Literally.

I cannot envisage any scenario in which the North London outfit are willing to break the world transfer record, just days after breaking their own transfer record, for a player that plays the same position in a similar fashion to the first. It simply does not add up.

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Would Mbappe be a good signing? Of course he would. It would truly remarkable if Wenger could pull it off. But is he coming to the Emirates? I highly doubt it.

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