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sweeten the deal

Arsenal are prepared to offer Olivier Giroud as bait to sign Kylian Mbappe

The Gunners are keen to snap-up the Monaco star, and are willing to use Giroud as makeweight

Poor old Olivier Giroud is facing the awkward prospect of being traded in for a younger model this summer. 

The 30-year-old France striker is edging closer to an Arsenal exit, with manager Arsene Wenger casting an eye on Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.

Well, this is awkward…

Getty Images
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Well, this is awkward…

According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal have already had an initial offer of £87 million for Mbappe rejected by Monaco, with the French champions holding out for a bid in excess of £100m.

That’s right, this summer is going to be silly-money season.

To match Monaco’s demands, Wenger would need to offload a few players to balance the books, with Giroud seemingly on the expendables list, and could even be used as part-exchange for Mbappe.

Hello darkness my old friend

AP:Associated Press
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Hello darkness my old friend

However, Arsenal may struggle to tempt Mbappe to the Emirates this summer without Champions League football to offer.

What’s more, a host of European powerhouses are chasing the 18-year-old off the back of his incredible breakout season, which saw him net 26 goals and 14 assists in 44 games, and feature extensively in their run to the Champions League semi-final.

The next Henry, anyone?

Next big thing

PA:Press Association
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Next big thing

Meanwhile, a move back to France might be exactly what Giroud needs, with the 30-year-old spending large parts of last season sat on the bench looking forlornly on at Alexis Sanchez.

He only started 11 times for the Gunners, with Sanchez and Danny Welbeck ahead of him in the pecking order.

Giroud will be acutely aware that another season on the fringes could spell danger for his place in the France squad for next summer’s World Cup.