Arsenal have reportedly given up on trying to sign Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe.

• Lacazette’s arrival means move for Mbappe unlikely
• The 18-year-old could stay at Monaco

Deep down, we all knew that signing Mbappe was incredibly unlikely. While it was fun to imagine the wonderkid signing for Arsenal in a world-record deal, the reality was it would have taken something remarkable for the move to happen.

With Lacazette set to be confirmed sometime this week, there are now reports from the Daily Star of Arsenal giving up on Mbappe. Arsenal had a £87m bid for the 18-year-old rejected. His asking price only escalated as more clubs became involved.

Rea Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and PSG were all believed to be interested. Arsene Wenger was confident of getting a deal done, forging a good relationship with the player and his family.

It seems now, though, that Mbappe won’t be leaving Monaco. Monaco do not want to sell the player and are hoping he’ll sign a new contract that would significantly increase his wages.

Arsenal could try again another time, but for now they will work on more attainable targets.