Arsenal still chasing £85m forward as Wenger believes he has ace up his sleeve

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Arsenal are reportedly still trying to sign Kylian Mbappe, and believe that the appeal of being the focal point of their team could be decisive.

The 18-year-old is a player in demand as he continues to shine this season, scoring 24 goals and providing 12 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.

Early comparisons to French legend Thierry Henry led to suggestions that Arsenal could swoop, but it appeared in recent weeks that the Gunners were falling behind in the race to sign him.

However, as reported by The Daily Mail, Arsenal believe that they can convince him to choose the Emirates over the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, as not only are they prepared to pay the price-tag but they will make Mbappe aware of the fact that he will have a central role in the team moving forward.

Uncertainty over Arsene Wenger could prove to be a damaging factor, but assuming he stays, makes Mbappe the new face of the team and builds a squad around him capable of challenging for major honours, there could still be a chance that he opts for north London.

Further, whether or not a lack of Champions League football plays into his thinking could also be a factor, and so there are still question marks over the possible move.

It’s a surprise in particular that the report suggests Arsenal will be willing to pay double their club record transfer fee to sign him though, and so there will still be many supporters not convinced by the claim.

Nevertheless, with previous suggestions that Wenger visited Mbappe last summer to try and convince him to join Arsenal coupled with their ongoing interest and these latest developments, there may well be an outside chance of a shock transfer but it’s difficult not to see the likes of Madrid and United being in pole position for the French international.

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