Transfer rumors: Manchester United bid £72m for Kylian Mbappe

Manchester United are keen to land the 18-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe in a record breaking deal for a teenager.

Manchester United have bid £72m for Kylian Mbappe, according to The Guardian. Monaco, the current leaders of Ligue 1, have rejected the bid and are holding out for a world record £100m.

United have form for paying large sums for teenage talent from Monaco. They signed Anthony Martial for £36m in 2015, in a deal which could eventually cost them £58 million. That transfer made Martial the most expensive teenager in world football, but it’s clear that any deal for Mbappe would blow that out of the water.

The French youngster has lit up European soccer with his displays in the last few months. After a slow start to the season, he has scored 18 goals in all competitions since the beginning of February. This included scoring in all four legs of the second round and quarterfinal ties in the Champions League. He was unable to breach the Juventus backline on Wednesday though, as Gianluigi Buffon saved Mbappe’s two clear-cut chances.

Monaco reportedly want to hold onto the player for another season, with a view to increasing his value. This may also be the best choice for the player too.

Jose Mourinho prefers to use established big name talent such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his teams. The Red Devils’ manager is not known for giving young players a chance to develop.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have only featured for approximately half of the available time in the Premier League this season, and have contributed just nine goals between them.

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It is clear that United are looking to splash the cash this summer, as they have been strongly linked with Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid. It might be best for all concerned if Mbappe spent another season in France though.