The Monaco forward has been tipped to leave Monte Carlo this summer with most of Europe's elite clubs considering a transfer swoop, but has been urged to go to London by a former Gunners star...

Robert Pires has urged former club, Arsenal, to sign Kylian Mbappe after they have tied up the contracts of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

The Premier League outfit are facing a summer of potential upheaval following their failure to qualify for the Champions League for the first time under Arsene Wenger, and it has meant that some of their big guns may be on the move, but Pires has insisted that if they keep their best players and add some quality new recruits then they may just challenge for the title next campaign.

The Frenchman has identified two of his compatriots who could really make the difference for the Gunners up top in attacking areas. One being Mbappe and the other being Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon.

"The most important thing is to keep Sanchez and Ozil and if they buy Lacazette and Mbappe," he recently told reporters at a Puma kit launch.

"Arsenal can do both - they can extend the contracts of Sanchez and Ozil and why not buy two or three players?"

One potential stumbling block for Wenger's outfit is that the mooted fee that it would take to land Mbappe is in excess of 100 million euros, which is more than double the amount they have paid for a player previously. However, Pires thinks that with the money in the Premier League these days his old club could take the risk.

"Mbappe is a great player who has good potential. Of course he is very expensive but now in the UK anything is possible."

The 18-year-old remains a Monaco player for the moment.