Kylian Mbappe will be allowed to decide his own future, with Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev insisting he will not block any bids for the club’s top talent.
The teenage striker has emerged as one of European football’s most sought-after talents, with his 26-goal haul helping to secure Ligue 1 title glory and a run to the Champions League semi-finals.
Manchester United and Real Madrid are among those reported to be considering big-money summer approaches, with it expected that the €100 million barrier will need to be broken again to get a deal done.
Rybolovlev is reluctant to speculate on the terms which could be tabled, but appreciates that the likes of Mbappe and Tiemoue Bakayoko – who is said to be interesting United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain – may decide to move on to further their respective careers.
He told L’Equipe: “We are not here to decide in the place of men, block them, tell them yes or no.
“We have no budget problem and we are not forced to sell, but the day when a player or coach wants to leave, it’s just unimaginable to keep him against his wishes. We are not Real Madrid or Barcelona or Manchester. Everyone has to cross the road in his career to go even higher. You do not keep a man against his will.
“In business, if you go against the market and against the trends, you will always lose. Later, if someone goes, this is not our initiative. You know, [Anthony] Martial, it was he who wanted to leave and we can understand that.”
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Having sold Martial to Manchester United in the summer of 2015, Rybolovlev added on talk that Mbappe could generate another sizeable transfer fee for Monaco: “I don’t know, it is the market that decides, and it depends on who is willing to invest in him.
“Anyway, it’s a decision of the player, not the club.”