Wenger: Being rejected by Mbappe hurts me a bit【JIAYU]

Kylian Mbappe has left Paris to join Real Madrid. Arsenal's legendary manager Arsene Wenger has once again spoken of his regret at not being able to sign Kylian Mbappe during 2016.

Wenger said: "For us of course it is a blow, a big blow. I was a bit sad and I went to visit Mbappe's parents and tried to convince them. At that time, Mbappe was still a little shy, and he was just beginning to experience the feeling of being asked for an autograph.

"At the beginning of your career you don't have too much pressure and they assured Mbappe it would be easier to get games at Monaco than at Arsenal, Liverpool or Real Madrid and that convinced him to stay. But we have to recognise that, his parents made good advice and Mbappe made the right decision."

In January 2016, Mbappe was promoted to the first team through Monaco's youth team. In the summer of 2017, Mbappe joined Paris on loan and officially transferred a year later for a fee of 180 million euros. In the summer of 2024, Mbappe joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.