Kylian Mbappe: Could he become the most expensive footballer ever?
- Published
One name has dominated this summer's transfer window - Kylian Mbappe. Could the young French striker finally be about to move clubs?
There's been loads of talk over the last few days that the 18-year-old Monaco forward could be about to make an enormous transfer to Real Madrid in Spain.
Lots of people say Manchester City is also keen to sign the footballer.
According to some articles, City and Madrid are prepared to pay more than £160 million for the France international, making him the most expensive signing ever.
But who is he and why are teams willing to pay so much for him?
Mbappe was born in Paris in December 1998.
His father, Wilfried, is from Cameroon and works as a coach at AS Bondy, which is the football club Kylian trained with when he was young.
His mother is from Algeria and was once a professional handball player.
Last season put Mbappe on the map. Last year, he became the youngest player for 30 years to score 15 goals in a Ligue 1 season.
It was these goals that helped his team win the title.
Mbappe often gets compared to legendary France player Thierry Henry, especially after breaking Henry's records as Monaco's youngest ever player and scorer.
When he was young, clubs in Spain, France and England tried to sign him, but he turned them all down to join Monaco.
He made his debut for them in 2015, before he'd even signed a professional contract.
Mbappe's goals in the Champions League gave him an international following.
He scored six goals over all, including ones that sent Manchester City tumbling out of the competition.
In the semi-finals, he scored past legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who is 7,621 days older than him - almost 21 years!
Many people have been trying to guess where Mbappe will end up.
As a teenager, Mbappe was interviewed by the French media. They asked him what his goals were and he said: "To play for Real Madrid. It is better to target the moon. That way, if you fail, you get to the clouds."
Maybe the young French striker will get to play for Real Madrid soon.
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