Arsenal Transfer News: Kylian Mbappe Race Led Amid Liverpool, Chelsea Rumours

Arsenal are poised to beat Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea to the signing of Monaco prodigy Kylian Mbappe after his rise through the club ranks sparked the interest of Europe's elite.

According to French newspaper L'Equipe, the 17-year-old is attracting the attention of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but it's north London titans Arsenal who are in pole position (h/t TalkSport).

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Mbappe has made six senior appearances for Monaco this season since earning his first-team debut in a Europa League clash against Tottenham Hotspur in October, but he's yet to score for Leonardo Jardim's side.

However, the winger has made two assists in just 272 minutes of play, showing he's far from being found out of his depth at the Stade Louis II.

Arsene Wenger holds a long history of investment in young talent from Ligue 1, and the former Monaco manager could go back to his old club as he looks to beef up his attacking options this year.

The Gunners chief missed out on another Monaco alumnus, Anthony Martial, after he completed a £36 million move to Manchester United last summer.

Speaking to the media in October, Wenger revealed he baulked at the figures involved in that deal, but he added he was under the impression Martial was not for sale, per the Press Association (h/t Guardian):

"

I was surprised they sold him. The amount of money was massive. I believe that you could think that, if you are Monaco, you could have sold him as well next season. 

So I thought they would not sell him this year because they sold many other players. I thought they would maintain their word. He was not sellable. He was not on the list. He was one of the players Monaco did not want to sell, so we never made an approach for him. Only an acceptable amount of money after could do it. We always liked him, even when he was in Lyon.

"

Martial has since found his feet at Old Trafford and made a promising start to life in the Premier League. Rather than miss out on another French prospect, Wenger may capitalise on Arsenal's interest in Mbappe.

However, Arsenal writer Simon Collings suggested more senior reinforcements may be required at the Emirates Stadium, mentioning Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani as the type of player fans might expect:

Chelsea pacified the 10-man Gunners on Sunday as Arsenal slumped to a 1-0 home defeat, a loss that resulted in the club falling three points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City.

People could expect Mbappe to join up with Arsenal's academy if he did make the move to north London, and the youngster would undoubtedly need time to transition from France to England.

Last season, the teenager made just one appearance for Monaco's under-19 side in the UEFA Youth League, creating one assist in a 30-minute cameo against Zenit St. Petersburg.

Mbappe may not represent the kind of peak players Gunners fans want to see arriving at the Emirates, but even under the pressure of another title race, Wenger won't allow the club's youthful reserves to run dry.