Arsenal ‘absolutely’ interested in Mbappe, says Arteta
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal should be in the running to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain after the French star leaves the Ligue 1 giant at the end of this season.
The France forward, who has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, announced on Friday (AEDT) that he will leave the Ligue 1 champion when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Arteta feels that signing Mbappe would match Arsenal’s ambition of becoming the “best team”.
When asked if Arsenal should be interested in the 25-year-old, Arteta said: “Absolutely. Why not? If we want to be the best team then we are going to need the best talent and the best players for sure.
“When there is a player of that calibre then we always need to be in the conversation but it looks like [his future] is in a different way."
Arteta says Arsenal is heading into the most important part of the season ahead of their Premier League clash with Burnley.
The title-chasing Gunners currently sit third, two points behind leader Liverpool, after extending their impressive run to four straight league wins with a dominant 6-0 victory at West Ham United.
Arteta highlighted the importance of claiming three points at Turf Moor and to keep up consistent form during the final 14 league matches.
“It’s the most important part of the season and every fixture will play a significant role in what we want to achieve,” Arteta said.
“Burnley at the moment are a team which are extremely difficult to beat if you look at the results and how teams have drawn or beaten them by small margins.
“They are extremely well coached and are a team that are very competitive, so we know that we have a very tough match on Saturday and we need to play with the same energy and enthusiasm.
“We want to be there [title race] and it means we have done a lot right during the season.
“We have shown a big level of consistency in the team, we want to take a step forward and maintain the consistency.”
Burnley, which sits seven points from safety, has struggled in its first season back in the Premier League.
Arteta showed his admiration for Clarets manager Vincent Kompany, lauding his “special aura” ahead of the clash.
The Arsenal manager coached the former Manchester City captain when he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City between 2016 and 2019.
“We know each other really well and I have huge respect for him, we had a really good relationship when we worked together,” Arteta added.
“I have a huge admiration for him when he was a player and he has a special aura around him. He has great ideas and a vision of how to play the game.
“What they did in the Championship last season [winning the league by 10 points] was phenomenal in a record season. To do that you need to be exceptional [as a coach].
“He has courage and his work ethic is phenomenal.”
