EXCL: How realistic is Mbappe to Arsenal or Liverpool? Plus complicated Chelsea deal, Thuram to Man Utd, and Aubameyang revival

This week's dive into the biggest French football news.

Could Kylian Mbappe really be a realistic target for Liverpool or Arsenal?

Kylian Mbappe’s future has been in the headlines again as it so often is, with talk of Liverpool and Arsenal exploring the financial conditions of a potential transfer. I think it’s worth saying, however, that it’s very hard to imagine Mbappe rejecting Real Madrid if he does end up deciding to leave PSG.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Liverpool, Arsenal, or anyone else - if he leaves PSG, it will be to go to Real Madrid. The question is whether that’ll be in the next few months or later in the future, but it’s a dream and ambition of his, so it’s not really comparable with admiration for someone like Liverpool or a desire to play in the Premier League.

Liverpool’s interest in Mbappe is nothing new, and the player has also spoken positively about them. But he’s grown up a Real Madrid fan and has a real emotional attachment to them - it’s more than something he’d just like to do, it’s a career objective that he’s mapped out, so at some point there’s little doubt that he will be a Real Madrid player.