7th August 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Speculation about the future of AS Monaco's teenage sensation, Kylian Mbappe, has been relentless this transfer window.

Following his magnificent 2016/2017 campaign, where he blasted home a superb 26 goals in all competitions on his way to being a formidable element of Monaco's Ligue 1 title winning side, who also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, he's been linked with basically all of Europe's elite.

The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, to name a few, have all courted the youngster, even if his price tag would be in the region of a staggering £180 million. Monaco's vice-president Vadim Vasilyev did, however, suggest the prize asset is a decent chance to remain in the principality too. "Mbappe will make the right decision. He has never expressed a wish to leave us," he said.

"We are, however, in conversation with him and contrary to what you may have seen, it is not simply a case of money. It's more complicated than that. The player needs to move for the sake of sporting reasons."

Boasting blistering pace and acceleration, the 18-year-old is a massive handful for any defence to deal with. Combine this with his excellent first touch, close control and dribbling ability, and it's easy to see why his signature is so coveted.

Furthermore, his thoughtful dropping movements and wicked capacity to ideally angle and time his runs in behind ensure he's a threat both in front of and beyond opposition defensive lines. In addition, with coach Leonardo Jardim being a master of setting his side up to counter effectively, he's also been a tremendous weapon in this regard, where he's used his dynamism, 1v1 quality and unpredictability to charge at unsettled backlines.

By the numbers, his 1.8 shots per game (pg), 1.1 chances created pg and two successful dribbles pg do an apt job of accentuating his attacking prowess.

Throughout his especially fruitful exertions last term, Mbappe notably managed to break some impressive records. On top of becoming the youngest Ligue 1 player to score 10 or more goals, the Frenchman was also the youngest to score in both legs of a quarter final and the youngest to score in four consecutive Champions League matches. Indeed, the Bondy born starlet's rise from sitting on the bench to becoming Jardim's star man has been nothing short of spectacular.

His former Monaco teammate, Bernardo Silva, who joined the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Nabil Dirar and Valere Germain in leaving the club this summer, has recently been very vocal that he'd love his new team, Man City, to sign the mercurial attacker. "Mbappe is a great player. I would love to have him here. That is for City to decide, but you never know," he explained.

"Mbappe can be a superstar. In fact, I think he is already a little bit of a superstar. He can be one of the best in the world very soon. It is perfect to have someone like him when you're a midfield player because he is very fast, very clever and a good finisher. It's crazy to think he is only 18."

All the signs are certainly pointing towards him becoming a superstar, but having grown up with former Clairefontaine acadmey attendee, French U21 international and ex Rennes player, Jires Kembo-Ekoko, Mbappe learnt first-hand from his adopted brother about dealing with the obstacles that getting to the professional level brings.

With all this in mind, it would probably be in his best interest if he stayed one more term in France, instead of leaving to a bigger team where'd be forced to sit out lengthy spells on the bench. But in light of Vasilyev's statements, his future still appears undecided, so we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out from now until the end of the window.

The latest rumours are suggesting that he, in fact, believes he's ready to move on, with Real Madrid apparently his preferred destination. If this move was to happen, while it'd be a fantastic learning experience working under Zinedine Zidane and training with some of the best players in the world, he'd have to be patient fighting with the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale for opportunities.

Having not scored yet in preseason, in the Trophee des Champions or in the Monegasques' Ligue 1 opener, Jardim still made a point of highlighting that his performance levels have still been high and how he's admirably remained focus despite the constant innuendo.

Whatever happens in the case of Mbappe, his future unquestionably looks set to be full of promise, success and memorable moments - no matter where he plies his trade.

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