With Arsenal close to signing Alexandre Lacazette, while still being interested in Thomas Lemar, are the club admitting defeat in Kylian Mbappe?

• Arsenal had bid £87m for Kylian Mbappe but not much has happened since
• Mbappe was said to be Wenger’s first choice, but the arrival of Lacazette suggests our interest is over
• Arsenal also want Thomas Lemar

Not much as happened since Arsenal reportedly bid £87m for Kylian Mbappe.

There was a lot of buzz around the Standard’s story, with plenty of talk about Arsene Wenger’s confidence of signing the player despite stern competition from the likes of Real Madrid.

Wenger is said to have a good relationship with Mbappe and his family, and has hoped his more personal approach, plus a number of promises, would be enough to charm the Monaco man to the Emirates.

Since then, news on Mbappe has gone quiet and Arsenal have instead been working on a deal for Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette. With the move set to be complete this week, it would appear Arsenal’s chase for Mbappe is over.

That could be down to the money involved, with Monaco reportedly asking for more than £120m for the 18-year-old – more than double what Arsenal are expected to pay for Lacazette.

It’s unlikely Arsenal will have the funds to sign both and continue to target Thomas Lemar. And there has been talk of Mbappe signing a new contract with Monaco. He appeared in the promotional pictures for the new kit which hints that he might be staying.

Lemar also appeared, howeever, and Arsenal remain in contact with Monaco over his signature but are finding negotiations tricky. It’s likely that should Arsenal manage to sign Lemar, they will not try for Mbappe as well.