Arsenal 'increase Kylian Mbappe bid to £95m'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly increased his offer for Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe to a world-record £95m.

The Gunners are already thought to have had an £87m offer for the 18-year-old forward turned down by the Ligue 1 champions, who are fighting a battle to keep hold of many of their key players this summer.

According to the Sunday Express, Wenger has significant transfer funds at his disposal and is prepared to make a statement of intent by upping his offer to £95m, a figure that would shatter the current world-transfer record of £89m paid by Manchester United for Paul Pogba last year.

Monaco have already rejected an offer of £105m for Mbappe from Real Madrid, but Arsenal are hopeful that their lower offer will succeed because it includes a significantly higher fee upfront.

Mbappe - who has drawn comparisons with Gunners legend Thierry Henry - is top of a Wenger wishlist that also includes Leicester City's wantaway winger Riyad Mahrez, Lyon hitman Alexandre Lacazette and Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan.