Monaco are getting serious in their attempts to keep Kylian Mbappe for another year.
The Champions League semi-finalists and French champions have always stated their desire to keep the 18-year-old phenom for at least another year – despite the circling European elite.
Mbappe can take his pick of Europe’s biggest clubs after an astonishing breakthrough season at the Stade Louis II, with 26 goals to his name.
Real Madrid are keen to make him the club’s newest ‘Galactico’, while Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants to take him to the Emirates, and recently upped his charm offensive by telling Mbappe he needs to go somewhere where he will be “the main man”.
Monaco have been playing their cards close to their chest, with the Principality club set to lose a number of their top prospects; Bernardo Silva has already departed for Manchester City, Tiemoue Bakayoko is heading to Chelsea, while Benjamin Mendy, Thomas Lemar, Fabinho and Djibril Sidibe could all also leave.
Despite the level of interest, they continue to want to keep Mbappe, and are willing to have been preparing a new contract to persuade him to extend his stay – his current deal runs out in 2019.
As such, according to Le Journal du Dimanche, Mbappe has been offered a massive 900 per cent pay-rise by Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev, to entice him to remain. That would see Mbappe’s current £15,000-a-week wages jump to £140,0000-a-week.
And the Ligue 1 champions have also rejected a €130million (£114million) offer from Madrid to take Mbappe on a permanent basis this summer. Monaco, backed by billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev do not need the money, but have maintained with their young stars that they won’t stand in their way to making forward steps in their career.
Two weeks ago, Mbappe described himself as “the sole decision-maker” in his future.
“I will make a choice based on my sporting career, and my career is first and foremost, and I am at an age where I need to play, and that will be paramount.”
French FA (FFF) president Noel Le Graet declared on Saturday that he would like to see Mbappe remain in Ligue 1 for another year, telling an audience in Amiens: “I would like That Kylian remains in France.”
Remaining at the club guarantees regular starts in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, as he looks to cement a starting place with France on the road to next year’s World Cup in Russia.
Monaco are also aware that another 20 goal-plus season will only see his value increase.
