CITY’S £180M KYL BILL
Monaco admit Mbappe could go as City storm ahead in race for wonderkid
MANCHESTER CITY new-boy Bernardo Silva has urged his old team-mate Kylian Mbappe to join him
at the Etihad. City are involved in a three-way battle with Real Madrid and Barcelona for Monaco’s £180million-rated France striker. Mbappe visited Manchester yesterday for a Nike photoshoot with City winger Leroy Sane. Monaco Vice-president Vadim Vasilyev admitted: “Mbappe will make the right decision. “He has never expressed a wish to leave us.” Vasilyev added: “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.” Silva, City’s £43m playmaker, has told 18-year-old Mbappe to follow him from Monte Carlo to Manchester. And he’s revealed how his charm offensive also convinced defender Benjamin Mendy to link up with him at City in a £50m deal. Silva said: “Mbappe is a great player. I would love to have him here. That is for City to decide, but you never know. “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.” Monaco knocked City out of the Champions League last season on away goals after losing the first leg 5-3 in Manchester. That prompted City boss Pep Guardiola (left) to raid the French champions for Silva before turning his attentions to left-back Mendy. And Silva revealed: “When I signed for City I spoke to Benjamin about coming as well. I said, ‘Come on Mendy, come with me’, because he is a great player and can really help this team.” The Monaco to City double-act could soon become a hat-trick.