KYLIAN MBAPPE ‘barely considered’ joining Arsenal for a brutal reason – despite meeting with Arsene Wenger.
The French superstar, 24, burst on to the scene with Monaco, breaking into the first team as a 16-year-old in December 2015.
Compatriot Wenger visited the teenager at his home to try and seal a deal in 2016.
But after unsuccessfully landing the rising star, Wenger made another attempt a year later.
However, L’Equipe state Mbappe gave a switch to the Emirates very little thought.
That is because Arsenal failed to qualify for the 2017-18 Champions League.
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Mbappe had just won Ligue 1 with Monaco while the Gunners finished fifth, one point behind Liverpool, in turn ending their run of 19 consecutive campaigns at Europe’s top table.
Instead, Mbappe made his switch to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, initially on loan before a £162million transfer 12 months later.
Both Wenger and Mbappe have spoken publicly about the Gunners’ attempts to lure the forward to North London.
Mbappe said in 2018 upon joining PSG permanently: “I met with Arsene Wenger, who is a great coach.
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“He has a great reputation here in France, he’s well-respected and knows how to develop young players. This was a real option for me.
“I dream of being managed by Arsene Wenger. He is French, he’s had a great career and now he is free because he has left Arsenal.
“We weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of all the clubs but my family told me it had to be my decision and one I needed to make.
“It also had to be a long-term decision. So it was up to me and I decided to come here in order to develop.”
Wenger added: “The player would tell you that I was at his home last year to try to get him here.
“Because he was at the end of his contract but Monaco managed to keep him and the decision was very, very tight.
“But I could understand it as well because he was educated there and at the end decided to stay there.”
Since joining PSG in 2017, Mbappe has racked up a club-record 201 goals at a strike rate of 0.81 goals per game.
He has added four more Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de France, two Coupes de la Ligue and reached the Champions League final in 2020.
The Frenchman – who signed a mammoth £500m contract renewal last year – also won the World Cup in 2018 and the final in 2022, where he took home the Golden Boot.
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At Arsenal, however, Wenger left in 2018 and they have only been able to add an FA Cup triumph to their trophy cabinet since – although they are top of the Premier League with 12 games of this season to go.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
