Real Madrid 'to launch £85m bid' to sign Kylian Mbappe and blow rivals Barca and Manchester United out of transfer race

Mbappe has attracted widespread attention across Europe with his form at Monaco this season

Kylian Mbappe is a transfer target for Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona (Getty)

Real Madrid could look to blow their European rivals out of the water in the race to sign Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe by offering up to €100m [£85m], with Florentino Perez hoping to fend off competition from both the Premier League and La Liga.

Manchester United and Arsenal have both been linked with the French 18-year-old following his excellent form this season in Ligue 1 and the Champion League, while Barcelona are also believed to be monitoring the France international.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Real Madrid are aware of the interest in the teenager, and club president Florentino Perez is prepared to make another statement signing to land the Monaco striker in an effort to boost his presidential bid.

Madrid will elect their next president in the summer, with Perez the favourite to continue in the role, but moves for Mbappe and the Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea, would go a long way to pleasing the 80,000 members that will vote in the election.

Having missed out on De Gea two years ago, a completed move for the Spain No 1 this summer would represent a positive move in the transfer market for the club, who currently lead La Liga despite Sunday’s 3-2 el clasico defeat by Barcelona. Their quiet transfer window last year, in which only the €30m [£30m] Alvaro Morata returned from Juventus in their only signing, means that Real have a reinforced transfer budget heading into the end of the season.

That could result in Perez pursuing moves for both Mbappe and De Gea, with reports in France detailing that Real would be prepared to offer between €80m and €100m in order to fend off competition from elsewhere, with only United able to rivals those figures unless Barcelona commit to selling one of Lionel Messi, Neymar or Luis Suarez, which looks hugely unlikely.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is a known fan of Mbappe, having kept an eye on him at his former club Monaco, but the French manager has not shown any clear indication that Arsenal are willing to enter the race for the striker despite his preference for signing young French talent in the past.