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Manchester City are one of three clubs prepared to pay AS Monaco €180million to sign Kylian Mbappe – a sum that would shatter the current transfer record.

According to sources familiar with ongoing negotiations, the English Premier League club are competing with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to secure the signature of the 18-year-old France international.

City's approach for Mbappe has been spearheaded by Pep Guardiola who, according to a Monaco source, met the teenage striker in person before approving his club's pursuit. If City are successful in beating Madrid and PSG to his signature it will take their financial commitments on transfer fees in the summer window close to the €450m mark.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Icon Sport)

Monaco alone would be set to receive €312.5m from the club they eliminated from last season's Champions League. City have already signed Benjamin Mendy for €57.5m and Bernardo Silva for €50m plus €25m of what are described as “big and easy” performance-related bonuses from the Principality club.

As matters stands, Madrid are considered the most likely destination for Mbappe. However, the European champions' approach is understood to be dependent on Zinedine Zidane's ability to convince Mbappe of his importance to the Madrid coach's plans. “If Zidane does not talk with him today they have a problem,” a source told The Daily Record.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)

PSG's renewed interest in Mbappe is indicative of concerns that their attempt to buy Neymar out of his contract at Barcelona is about to fall through. Neymar had verbally agreed to join PSG, with the Qatar-owned club making it clear that they were prepared to meet the Brazil international's €220m release clause to enable the deal to happen.

Before the clause was triggered, however, Neymar joined Barca's pre-season training camp where his team-mates have made extensive efforts to persuade him to change his decision on joining PSG. A series of Barcelona board members have also stated their opposition to a sale, with Neymar expected to secure his second Camp Nou pay rise in the space of a year should he stay.

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PSG's position on Mbappe is not as strong as Madrid or City's. Monaco, whose ebullient 2016-17 campaign saw them relieve the Parisians of the French championship, would prefer not to sell to a domestic rival. Particularly in a window in which PSG have returned to the hyper-aggressive recruitment strategy which won them the four preceding Ligue 1 titles.