Arsenal considered making an £80m bid for Kylian Mbappe but were put off by Real Madrid’s interest, according to The Daily Mail.

Way back at the start of the summer, there were reports that Arsenal had made a bid of £87m for Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe.

The bid was allegedly rejected, and, despite plenty of talk about Arsenal going back in with even bigger offers, they never did. Instead, they turned their attention to Alexandre Lacazette and spent £52m to bring him to the club.

According to the Daily Mail, that decision was influenced by Real Madrid’s interest in Mbappe.

They say that contrary to what had been reported, Arsenal only “considered” an £80m offer but were put off making a bid by Real Madrid.

Regardless, it was always likely that Arsenal would pull out of the Mbappe race once the figures reached absurd heights.

For all the talk about Wenger being willing to go above £100m, it was simply not realistic for Arsenal to compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for a player.

What they can pay for a player is beyond what Arsenal can, and they have far more pulling power.

Arsenal won’t be getting a great young player, but they ended with a very good striker instead, so it’s not all bad.