Arsene Wenger Says He Visited Kylian Mbappe's House to Secure Arsenal Transfer

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he went to Kylian Mbappe's house last summer in an attempt to sign AS Monaco's young star.

"The player would tell you that I was at his home last year to try to get him here," Wenger told beIN Sports (via George Bellshaw for the Metro). "He was at the end of [his] contract but Monaco managed to keep him and the decision was very, very tight."

Mbappe has flourished since deciding to remain in France. The 18-year-old has scored 14 goals in Ligue 1 this season, despite only making 14 starts, and has netted five goals in the Champions League. His brilliant season was highlighted on Twitter by WhoScored:

Unsurprisingly, his value has since risen, with Monaco reportedly expecting £118 million for his signature this summer, per Bellshaw. This is likely to be too high for Wenger, who admitted recently his continued interest in Mbappe might be fruitless.

"It would be hypocritical and a lie to say that we are not looking at him," he said to SFR Sport (via Lyall Thomas for Sky Sports). "But he's already in the bracket of clubs who are, perhaps, much better financed than us."

Dave Thompson/Associated Press

Manchester United are one such club, and they reportedly had an offer of £72 million turned down by Monaco on Thursday, per Fabrizio Romano and Jamie Jackson for the Guardian. According to the same report, the French league-leaders are holding out for £100 million.

Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City are also "ready to spend big" on Mbappe, per Bellshaw.

It looks as though Arsenal will rue missing out on Mbappe at a crucial juncture in his career and be priced out of the race to sign him this summer.