Arsenal could bring an end to an eight-year scouting mission
as they're handed the chance to land Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe as soon as today [January 1]. The Frenchman continues to be linked with
an exit from his club following on from an ongoing contract debacle.
The forward has made a name for himself as one of the best in
the world in recent years, leading to talks over a move elsewhere such as the Premier
League or La Liga. That has never quite materialised though, with a new deal
very often being struck with the French champions.
That hasn't been the case so far though as last summer the
25-year-old refused to trigger a one-year contract extension, meaning he had
just 12 months remaining on his deal. Panic stations were hit at the Parc des
Princes, where drastic measures were taken to try and strike a compromise.
Either a new deal was signed or an exit would be negotiated,
but neither came as the club isolated Mbappe from the first-team and pre-season
training camps. Eventually, once the Ligue 1 season was underway, he was called
back and hasn't seemingly looked like leaving since.
However, fast forward to the winter, and there are just six
months remaining on a contract that is dwindling as each day continues to pass.
There are more options on the table and a potential exit seems all the more
likely for teams that continue to circle a potential bargain.
Arsenal have been one of those teams linked in recent months
and could confirm a deal as soon as January 1 due to pre-contract registration.
With those final months of his contract ahead, Mbappe can reach an agreement
with a club outside of Ligue 1 to sign for them in the summer.
If that is the Gunners, then he could be confirmed as soon as
possible, bringing them much-needed firepower in the attack, even if they have
to wait a few months. Such a deal could bring an end to an eight-year mission
following the club missing out on Mbappe in 2018.
That was according to former scout Gilles Grimandi, who told
Ladbrokes, via the Express: "We tried to convince him [Mbappe] before, in
2016. We met his parents in London who came to the training ground and
alongside Arsene and Richard Law we travelled to meet Kylian in the South of
France.
"We tried to convince him, but I don't think it was the
best time for us; that meeting took place the day after we'd just lost to
Swansea at home in the league, which itself followed a defeat at Old Trafford
and I remember we had a big game away just three days later against Tottenham,
so the timing was not ideal."
Source: Arsenal - Football.London
