Kylian Mbappe is en route to becoming one of the most expensive players of all time and he’s yet to get his driver’s licence. The AS Monaco youngster has scored 19 goals in 32 appearances for the Principality club in all competitions and seems to be enjoying his time under the spotlight with every passing game.
Being the recipient of a €40 million bid from Manchester City even before representing Leonardo Jardim’s first-team says a lot about a player christened the ‘new Thierry Henry’. He’s excellent with the ball at his feet, he’s got great pace and more importantly, seems to have the kind of mental attributes that a top striker requires.
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And while it may seem like all is moving way too fast for Mbappe, there are a bunch of clubs looking to sign him on on a permanent basis this summer. AS Monaco are going to fight tooth and nail to ensure he stays for another season at least but should they fail to do, here are five clubs that will benefit Mbappe the most:
Arsenal
Mbappe’s being continuously linked with the Gunners with every passing week. The Premier League club is having a particularly poor season and is in dire need of some freshness up top. Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck, and Lucas Perez are the current strikers but all are either injured or out of form at some point in the season.
Should the club put in a world-record bid to sign the youngster – because that’s pretty much how much it’s going to take – it’s going to be a decision they might come to celebrate. Mbappe is compared to Henry only because of how excellent he is at such a young age and should he follow the French legend in joining Arsenal, it’ll be a move of mouth-watering proportions.
Of course, much will depend on Arsene Wenger – a shrewd spender. But if Wenger is to sign a new contract with the club, then this will be a decision he’ll have to break his head over.
Development rating at Arsenal: 8/10
Real Madrid
Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane have been talking big about Kylian Mbappe in the last few weeks. And the two of them – along with Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema – rarely talk so intently about a player from another club.
Having all but agreed – in silence – that bringing back Alvaro Morata was a failure, the club have surely begun exploring options to sign in the summer. And someone like Mbappe will do the club a world of good given they need some injection of young blood, too.
For the Frenchman, it’ll be a move he’ll relish. With Cristiano Ronaldo on one side and Gareth Bale on the other, the French youngster will be learning with the very best and even though he has the likes of Joao Moutinho currently, playing attacking football with the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric on his side is a whole different ballgame.
Development rating at Real Madrid: 7/10
Manchester United
There are talks in the media that Manchester United are ready to pick up the phone and dial AS Monaco’s number once again. Having already dealt with the Ligue 1 club for the signing of Anthony Martial, the club are ready to invest in the player who is supposedly so much better than the 21-year-old winger.
Jose Mourinho is apparently a fan of Kylian Mbappe and he’s made him one of his prime targets for the upcoming summer transfer window. Manchester United are expected to spend exorbitantly on new signings once again and the youngster is one of their many targets.
But given how Mourinho has treated Martial, Marcus Rashford, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson this season, there’s a sense of impending negativity when it comes to how he handles youngsters.
He either doesn’t fully trust them or always looks for the finished product which Mbappe is not and for that reason alone, it won’t be an ideal move for the youngster.
Development rating at Manchester United: 4/10
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola was ready to make Kylian Mbappe one of his first Manchester City signings. The youngster was making all the right moves with the AS Monaco’s youth teams and was being scouted by the Catalan man extensively.
And should he have joined the club last summer, the Citizens might not have gone on and signed Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus. Mbappe would’ve learnt from arguably the best manager in the world and he would’ve featured in a side that play similar football to what Monaco do right now.
With the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling helping him out, Mbappe would’ve taken the Premier League by storm. And especially under a manager like Guardiola who loves tinkering with youngsters and ensuring they turn out to be incredibly successful as they grow older.
Development rating at Manchester City: 8/10
Staying at AS Monaco
Like I mentioned before, AS Monaco are going to fight tooth and nail to ensure they hold on to young Mbappe. He's one of their many jewels but clearly, the one that could earn them the most – given Monaco are now acting as a club that provides the biggest of stages for young aspiring footballers.
Leonardo Jardim is turning out to be a manager worthy of a much bigger, more established club. He's doing wonders in the Ligue 1 with his work with the youngsters and should he have Mbappe for another season, it'll help the club win their first Ligue title since 2000 – when current Southampton manager, Claude Puel was in charge,
Mbappe knows this team and the team knows him. In recent months, everything has been going straight to the Frenchman rather than to the wings and then forward. He's taking the ball in from the centre, turning and opening up goal-scoring chances for his side. Should he stay, it'll be a mature decision and one he'll never come to regret.
Development rating at AS Monaco: 9/10
