CITY Kun is key to Blues making bid for £100m Mbappe...
CITY have been quoted a fee in excess of £100m following tentative enquiries about Kylian Mbappe.
At that price they are not interested. At least, not yet.
Pep Guardiola originally identified the Monaco striker as a target in his first summer at the Etihad.
Sources in France claim the City manager was prepared to pay £33m for the teenager, at a time when he was barely known outside of the Principality.
A return of 22 goals for a Monaco side that has stormed the Champions League this season has transformed the 18-year-old into one of the most soughtafter players in Europe – prompting his club to slap a world record valuation on their prize asset.
City’s stance is that they will not be entering the bidding this summer, despite Guardiola’s on-going admiration. But that could all change if Sergio Aguero leaves.
City are preparing for next season under the impression that Aguero will be part of Guardiola’s squad, along with Gabriel Jesus and Alexis Sanchez – if Arsenal can be persuaded to sell.
It’s no surprise that Mbappe would be considered surplus to requirements if Guardiola can call upon that trio of forwards.
But Aguero’s future remains the subject of uncertainty, despite City’s insistence they don’t want to lose their leading scorer.
Guardiola’s preference to play with a loan striker will, at the very least, mean Aguero is no longer a guaranteed starter. At worst, he will be Jesus’ understudy.
The same does not apply to Sanchez or Mbappe, whose ability to play out wide means they could regularly be included in the same line up as Jesus. While Guardiola played Jesus and Aguero together against Middlesbrough last week – with both scoring – it was at the expense of wide men, who Guardiola considers so pivotal to his plans. Aguero is adamant he does not want to leave the Etihad – but nor would he be happy to play second fiddle after being considered a talisman for so long. That could yet convince him to seek a transfer after demanding talks over his future this summer.
Only then would City consider entering the race for Mbappe – armed with a significant portion of his fee from the sale of Aguero.
The player would still have to be convinced to head to the Etihad – and Monaco persuaded to cash in.
It could have been so different if Guardiola had landed his man at the first time of asking. James Robson