'Why not?' - Arsenal manager makes surprising Kylian Mbappe transfer claim amid Liverpool interest

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has actively supported the club if they want to try and secure the signing of Kylian Mbappe.

The 25-year-old is set to leave Paris-Saint Germain in the summer after his contract expires and news broke yesterday of his desire to push for a move away rather than extend his current deal.

Real Madrid, Liverpool and Saudi Arabia clubs have been listed as the interested parties, as well as Arsenal, but acquiring Mbappe will be hugely costly despite the fact he had would be a free signing. This is because both English sides would have to break their wage structure to be able to afford him, but Arteta is remaining defiant over his side's chances of signing him.

“Why not?" Responded Arteta in his press conference ahead of this weekend's clash with Burnley. "If we want to be the best team, we are going to need the best talent & the best players. I am not involved. Maybe Edu and the owners are, I’m not in those conversations until the last stage”.

Reports have floated about with Arsenal being a major interested party with plenty of call-backs to Thierry Henry and how Mbappe could follow in the footsteps of one of Arsenal's greatest ever players. Plus, he would be emulating the great French legacy he created in English football.

Coming to England would see him directly rival Erling Haaland - with the two forwards earmarked to battle it out over the next decade for the Ballon d'Or after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's time have ended. Despite being in the French league, which is said to be considered outside of the Europe's top five leagues in terms of quality, he still has 31 goals and seven assists in 30 games in all competitions this year.