Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal “have to be in the conversation” when it comes to signing Kylian Mbappe but has suggested the France captain will end up at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has informed Paris Saint-Germain of his intention to leave the Parc des Princes at the end of the season and will become the most sought-after free agent on the market in the summer.
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Arsenal have been tentatively linked with the former Monaco man but Madrid remains his most likely destination.
Arteta said: “When there is a player of that calibre, we always have to be in that conversation. But it looks in a different way, that’s what I would say…”
Third-placed Arsenal head to Burnley tomorrow with a two-point deficit to make up on leaders Liverpool but Arteta feels the lessons they learned last season in their tussle with Manchester City will stand them in good stead.
He said: “We want to be there. That means we have done a lot of things right during the season.
“We have learned a lot from last season, we have shown a lot of consistency in the team and now we want to make a step forward and maintain that level of consistency.
“It’s the most important part of the season. Every fixture is going to play a significant role in what we want to achieve.
“Burnley is the most important one at the moment. With them, it’s been extremely small margins. We have a very tough match on Saturday, we have to play with the same enthusiasm and the rest will come.”
????️ “That means we’ve done a lot of things right”
Mikel Arteta says that he wants his Arsenal side to go ‘another step forward’ as they challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title ???? pic.twitter.com/NVjpkMxJUO
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 16, 2024
The Gunners could have four key players back – if not for the trip to Turf Moor, then over the next few weeks – with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith-Rowe all closing in on returns.
“Some of them have been progressing [more] than others,” said Arteta.
“We have a training session today. I am positive we are going to get a few back for tomorrow.
“No-one is ruled out. There are no setbacks, Thomas Partey is also progressing really well. He’s on the field already, it’s looking really good.”
