Arsenal round-up: Kylian Mbappe bid rejected; Mesut Ozil set to sign new contract; Virgil van Dijk’s £70m price-tag

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Kylian Mbappe is one of the hottest prospects in Europe at the moment and L’Equipe report that Arsenal have entered the race to sign him with a €100 million bid. Arsene Wenger is clearly a huge fan of the teenage striker and ready to break the bank to bring him to the Emirates Stadium. According to the Evening Standard, the big has been rejected by Monaco, as they are desperate to keep the 18-year-old for another season at least. It is unknown whether the Gunners will return with an improved offer.

This is encouraging news for supporters as the club are being ambitious in the market and pursuing one of the best young players in football. Although a significant fee is required, it may be worthwhile to pay what is required to land Mbappe. He has already proven himself at a high level and will only get better in the future. If they successfully signed him, it would send a message to the rest of the squad that the club mean business and that would help keep players at the Emirates Stadium.

Moving onto contract news, The Sun are reporting that Mesut Ozil is ready to sign a new deal with Arsenal with his salary set to rise to £280,000-a-week. This is a big pay increase for the German and could lead to Alexis Sanchez agreeing to a similar deal. The report goes on to state that the lack of interest from other European clubs is one of the major factors why the midfielder is deciding to stay.

This story needs to be treated with care as The Sun are not the most reliable source, but it does make sense that Ozil has decided to stay. The German was always more likely to sign a new deal than Sanchez, as there isn’t as much interest in him from Champions League clubs. Although his form has been patchy, it would be difficult to replace him with a similarly talented player, therefore this has to be considered good news if true.

Finally, the Mirror report that Southampton are demanding an eye-watering £70 million for Virgil van Dijk. There are a number of clubs interested in the Dutchman and that demand allows Saints to set their price high. Arsenal aren’t considered the most likely destination, but they are in the running and it will be interesting to see if they are willing to meet the valuation.

Arsenal don’t need the towering Dutchman as much as some of their rivals do. They have two very good centre backs in Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, while Rob Holding has shown himself to be a decent option in the heart of the defence. Although Van Dijk is a great defender and perfect for the three-man defence that the Gunners used towards the back-end of the season, the £70 million could be better spent on other areas of the team, such as central midfield and in attack. If money wasn’t an issue, he would be a great signing, but given the price tag, the Gunners should prioritise a cheaper centre-back as they already have two very good ones at the club.

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