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What’s the story?
With Neymar reportedly set for a move to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona have started hunting for replacements. The Catalan side are ready to use the Neymar money to get all the players Ernesto Valverde demands.
According to the Daily Mail, Barcelona have set sights on signing Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco this summer and are plotting a £100 million (€113 million) bid for him. The Frenchman is the top target for title-rivals, Real Madrid but Valverde is confident that he can convince him for a move to Camp Nou.
In case you didn’t know...
Kylian Mbappe is a Real Madrid fan from childhood. The forward has been snapped wearing a Madrid jersey and also posing for photos with his 'idol', Cristiano Ronaldo.
He was also close to joining Madrid and met Zidane, but Monaco made a late swoop and signed him up. The AS Monaco star also confirmed the meeting and said he didn't join Real Madrid because he wanted to stay in France and didn't want to leave so early. He goes on to say that he chose to move to Monaco, and believes that he made the right choice.”
The heart of the matter
Paris Saint-Germain are set to activate the release €222 million worth clause of Neymar in the coming days. The Brazilian has also decided that he wants to join the Ligue 1 side according to reliable reports in Brazil and the move looks set to happen.
Barcelona now face a tough task of replacing the forward and have set sight on Mbappe. The Monaco star had a stellar season with the French side, guiding them to the Ligue 1 title and also making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League before losing out to Juventus.
The 18-year-old finished the season with 26 goals and 8 assists in his 44 appearances for Monaco. That caught the eye of several top clubs around Europe.
Real Madrid and Manchester City were the ones to open the bidding with both clubs having bids of over €100 million rejected. Arsenal and PSG also showed interest but Monaco rejected their bids as well.
Few reports suggested that Manchester United also had a bid rejected for him while Liverpool were also linked with a stunning move for him.
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Author’s Take
Kylian Mbappe is the hottest prospect in world football right now. He is touted to be one of the best in the world soon and it's no surprise that Barcelona, along with other top clubs, are interested in signing him.
