£100m-rated Mbappe could have signed for Arsenal for just £230k last summer.

• The Monaco player was out of contract last summer
• Arsenal were talking with the player and have close connections
• Mbappe remains a top target despite huge price tag

The Daily Mail claim that Arsenal tried to sign Kylian Mbappe last summer when the player was nearly out of contract and would have only had to pay £230k in compensation.

Arsene Wenger admitted earlier this season that he visited Mbappe’s home last summer in an attempt to convince the player to sign for the Gunners.

Mbappe opted to stay at Monaco and went on to score 26 goals in a successful campaign for the Ligue 1 title-winners. He’s now subject to mega-money bids from Europe’s biggest clubs.

Arsenal believe their good relationship with the player and the promise of playing him at centre forward could give them the edge over the competition, though a fee would still have to be agreed with Monaco.

Had the Londoners been more forthright in the transfer market last summer, they could have landed a number of talented attackers.

Mbappe’s teammate Thomas Lemar, Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bayern’s Kingsley Coman and Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez were all also linked with Arsenal last season but weren’t pursued hard enough.