Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis have been pictured in the south of France amid rumours that the club are plotting a double raid on Ligue 1.
The Gunners were reported to have made a €100 million (£87m) offer for Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe by French publication L’Equipe, while they are also keen on Jean Seri of Nice.
And Wenger and Gazidis were spotted in that very city on Sunday, just a short drive down the coast from Monaco, getting Arsenal fans very excited indeed.
Gazidis and Wenger are not known to holiday together and are likely to have been in Nice on club business, with Sari and Mbappe the most likely targets of their shopping trip.
Arsenal will need to fend off competition from Real Madrid, Manchester City and a host of other top clubs to land Mbappe, but believe they hold an advantage over other European giants.
The 18-year-old supported Arsenal – and idol Thierry Henry – as a child, while Wenger has promised to build the team around him next season.
They will likely need to up their initial offer of €100m though, with Monaco believed to have already rejected €130m bids from both City and Real.
Meanwhile, Wenger has urged Mbappe to join a club where he will be guaranteed a starting role.
Wenger almost signed Mbappe last summer, but the player instead agreed new terms at Monaco and it seems only a record transfer fee willnow prise the winger away from Stade Louis II.
France boss Didier Deschamps last month warned Mbappe to consider his development when deciding his future, and Wenger has now offered his advice.
The Arsenal boss said: “Where do you think he [Mbappe] might finish? Somewhere where he has a good chance to play and is sure to play. That is why I think Deschamps made that statement.
“He thinks that he needs to play but I would say as well on the other hand that the boy has made enough impression to be basically sure a club who spends a 100 million for you is basically to make at the start at least the red carpet.
“Nobody will buy a player for a 100 million and say, “Come on, sit in the stands.”
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