Monaco’s vice-president Vadim Vasilyev has ruled out the sale of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United target Kylian Mbappe this summer
Kylian Mbappe was impressive once more as AS Monaco eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City from the UEFA Champions League last night, scoring the opening goal and constantly threatening City’s defence with his skillful runs.
It is no surprise that a lot of names have been linked with moves for Mbappe given his heroics this season, and Monaco’s vice-president Vadim Vasiley has moved quickly to state that the club have no intention of selling the 18-year old this summer.
” Our intention is to keep Kylian Mbappe,” Vasilyev told RTL, according to Goal. ” Mbappe is a product of our youth academy. He is our DNA. I am very proud. We have a real team. The first half was excellent – the sort of performance that the very top teams make.”
Mbappe has been in brilliant form this season, picking up 10 goals and 5 assists in just 21 appearances in Ligue 1 – 11 of which have come as a substitute. He has also scored 2 goals in 2 starts in the UEFA Champions League and has shot to prominence thanks to his performances this season.
Several clubs have been linked with Mbappe as a result of his performances, with Arsene Wenger even admitting that he attempted to sign the youngster last season but was unsuccessful as Mbappe chose to extend his contract with Monaco.
Barcelona have been linked with a move for the striker which is no surprise given their affinity towards signing young, talented players and ingrain the Barca way of playing into them from an early age.
The Catalans would have the funds to persuade Monaco to sell and despite having one of the most talented academies in the world, none of their attacking academy players have made the impact that Mbappe has in recent years.
Real Madrid have also been linked with a move for Mbappe, which also comes as no surprise as Los Blancos have also been trying to sign some of the best young talent in the world over the past few season.
With Karim Benzema potentially on his way out of the club, Zinedine Zidane will be looking out for long-term replacements and will certainly be keeping track of any potential recruits from his native country.
Manchester United have also been heavily linked with a move for the striker who is certainly dynamic enough to fit into the kind of profile United are looking for. Despite having youngsters like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford on their books, United are still on the lookout for talented players who can form their core for the future.
At 18, Mbappe already looks like he is ready for the biggest stage. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is only likely to stay at United for one more season and with Wayne Rooney set to leave at the end of the season, United could be tempted to make a move for the youngster.
Vasilyev’s comments may be a drawback to all the clubs interested in signing the Frenchman but given the financial strength of the clubs that have been linked with him, something could still happen this summer.
