How Arsenal Nearly Signed Bellingham and Mbappe as Teenagers

Arsenal face a monumental task if they are to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals. After dismantling PSV 9-3 on aggregate in the last 16, Mikel Arteta’s men were handed arguably the toughest possible draw — reigning champions Real Madrid, who breezed past Pep Guardiola’s faltering Manchester City side with ruthless efficiency.

Real were worthy winners last season, but look even more formidable this time around, bolstered by the arrival of Kylian Mbappé. Carlo Ancelotti’s team remain on course for a historic treble, while Arsenal, by contrast, have slipped behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race and now have the Champions League as their only realistic shot at silverware.

There’s enough attacking firepower in Arsenal’s ranks to trouble Madrid’s defence — as Valencia showed at the weekend in La Liga — but unless they can keep Mbappé and his partner-in-crime Jude Bellingham quiet across both legs, their European journey may well end here. Plenty of sides have tried and failed to contain the dynamic duo, and Arsenal know they’ll need to be near-perfect to avoid the same fate.

Mbappé, after a slow start in Spain, has reasserted himself as one of the most lethal forwards in world football — and a frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. But his closest competition might come from Bellingham, who at just 21 already looks every inch the complete midfielder and a Real Madrid captain in the making.

Their influence makes Real favourites in almost any tie — but in another timeline, it could have been Arsenal heading into this clash with both stars in their squad. The Gunners came painfully close to signing each of them as teenagers, with one transfer collapsing at the final hurdle and the other leaving Arsène Wenger with lasting regret…

Compensation gaffe

Jude Bellingham’s rapid ascent began at Birmingham City, where he etched his name into the club’s history books by becoming their youngest-ever player at just 16 years and 38 days old, debuting against Portsmouth in a 2019 Carabao Cup fixture. That match marked the start of a remarkable breakthrough season, as Bellingham racked up 44 senior appearances before sealing a £25 million ($32m) move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020.

The transfer was seen as a major coup for Dortmund, who managed to outmanoeuvre some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Yet, it could all have been very different — Bellingham might have been an Arsenal player long before his Bundesliga move, had things gone to plan.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal made a formal approach for Bellingham while he was still part of Birmingham’s U14 squad. They were prepared to pay the £500,000 compensation fee required to bring him to north London — but an unexpected 48-hour delay in finalising the payment gave Birmingham just enough time to step in and secure his commitment.

The young midfielder went on to sign with the Blues instead, leaving Arsenal to rue a major missed opportunity. That disappointment didn’t end their interest, however — the Gunners continued to monitor Bellingham closely in the years that followed, hopeful that another chance might come.

Bellingham deal was 'kind of done

Tony Adams once revealed that Arsenal were in prime position to sign Jude Bellingham following his breakout season at Birmingham City. Speaking to Sky Sports in November 2020, the former club captain explained how close the Gunners came to landing the midfield sensation.

“He was spotted very early, not by me, but by Arsenal’s recruitment team,” Adams said. “The chief scout at the time, Steve Morrow, was completely taken aback by his talent. The deal was more or less done.”

However, a shake-up behind the scenes at the Emirates ultimately saw the move collapse. “At that moment, Edu arrived from Brazil as the new sporting director. He had no experience in Europe or the UK,” Adams added. “I think the deal got lost in transition. Edu didn’t know anything about the player. Sadly, the chief scout had the deal pretty much wrapped up — but we missed out. These are the types of players we need to bring in if we’re ever going to build something special at Arsenal.”

While it’s unclear how accurate every detail of Adams' account is — some find it hard to believe that Edu would overlook one of England’s brightest prospects — there’s no doubt Arsenal let a golden opportunity slip. Bellingham’s rise at Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid has since underlined just how transformative he might have been for the Gunners, who are still chasing their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 Invincibles season. For all the scouting groundwork laid, Arsenal ultimately failed to act when it mattered most.

Mbappe 'wanted to sign'

Arsenal’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappé dates all the way back to early 2013, when the future superstar was still developing in the youth setup at French club AS Bondy. Former Gunners defender and scout Gilles Grimandi was among those who spotted his immense potential at a young age.

At just 14, Mbappé even held formal talks with Arsenal. However, he ultimately chose to stay in France and joined Monaco instead — a move Grimandi believes was based on sporting reasons rather than financial motivation.

“We just couldn’t convince him,” Grimandi told The Sun. “He was out of contract in June 2013 and we met him in February. If we had managed to bring him in, he could have transformed the club — but he chose Monaco. Arsenal weren’t playing their best football at the time, so it was complicated.”

Grimandi explained how Arsenal's waning form made it harder to land elite prospects. “At first, it was easy — when we spoke to a player, they were eager to sign. But if you’re not getting results, attracting top talent becomes much more difficult. That’s why staying at the top is so important — everything becomes easier when you're winning.”

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Wenger meeting

Kylian Mbappé graduated from Monaco’s academy just two years after joining and quickly made history, breaking Thierry Henry’s record to become the club’s youngest-ever debutant at 16 years and 347 days during a Ligue 1 match against Caen. By early 2016, he had become the most coveted young talent in Europe, with top clubs across the continent lining up to secure his signature.

Arsenal were among them, and Arsène Wenger personally led the charge. “I went to his parents and tried to convince them,” the legendary Gunners manager revealed to French broadcaster TF1 last June. “At the time, he was a little shy, and people had just started asking him for autographs in Monaco.”

Despite Wenger’s efforts, Arsenal once again fell short. Mbappé signed his first professional contract with Monaco in May that year, committing to the club until 2019. Wenger, however, held no grudges. “At the beginning of your career, there’s not as much pressure, and Monaco convinced him he’d get more playing time there than at Arsenal, Liverpool, or Real Madrid,” he said. “You could say his parents advised him well — he made the right choice.”

Gilles Grimandi, who was also heavily involved in Arsenal’s pursuit, echoed Wenger’s sentiments in an interview with Ladbrokes Fanzone. “We met his parents in London, they came to the training ground. Alongside Arsène and Richard Law [then head of transfers], we flew to the south of France to meet Kylian. We gave it everything, and I really don’t think we were far off. But he turned down the project and renewed with Monaco. It’s probably the biggest disappointment of my 15 years as an Arsenal scout.”

Last ditch attempt

Monaco had carefully eased Kylian Mbappé into senior football during his debut season, but there was no holding him back in the 2016-17 campaign. The teenage sensation exploded onto the scene, quickly becoming the focal point of Leonardo Jardim’s side. He netted 26 goals across all competitions, playing a key role as Monaco secured their first Ligue 1 title since 2000 and made an unlikely run to the Champions League semi-finals.

Six of those goals came in Europe’s premier club competition, including a brace in a thrilling last-16 triumph over Manchester City — a performance that catapulted his status to global superstardom. With Mbappé's stock at an all-time high, France Football reported that Arsenal made a final push to bring him to north London, with Arsène Wenger personally holding a three-hour meeting with the forward following a France vs England friendly in June 2017.

A throwback photo of a young Mbappé donning a yellow Arsenal shirt from 2004 even began circulating online, fuelling fan excitement as transfer rumours intensified. But despite their renewed efforts, Arsenal were snubbed once more. This time, Mbappé opted for Paris Saint-Germain, joining the French giants on an initial loan deal that included a €180m (£152m/$200m) obligation to buy — a move that would see him line up alongside Neymar and Edinson Cavani in a fearsome front three.

Reflecting on the failed pursuit, Wenger later admitted: “We were closer last year than this year because the competition was a bit smaller.” Mbappé essentially confirmed as much in a later interview with The Telegraph, saying: “Yes, I met with Arsène Wenger, who is a great coach. He’s highly respected in France and known for developing young talent. It was a real option. But Paris Saint-Germain was the main project — one where I could grow and win titles.”

Arsenal's loss is Madrid's gain

Kylian Mbappé undoubtedly made the right choice, with his glittering haul of 12 domestic trophies at Paris Saint-Germain serving as proof. Each time Arsenal attempted to bring him to north London, they were handicapped by their inability to consistently compete for major honours during the latter stages of Arsène Wenger’s tenure.

“It was a footballing blow, and an obvious one too. Seeing that photo [of Mbappé in an Arsenal shirt as a child] hurts my heart a little,” Wenger confessed to TF1. The Mbappé saga was just one of many painful near-misses for the legendary manager, who has previously revealed how close Arsenal came to signing the likes of Luis Suárez, Yaya Touré, N’Golo Kanté and Vincent Kompany.

While Wenger seemingly had no direct role in Arsenal’s failed pursuit of Jude Bellingham, he’s made no secret of his admiration for the England star, once describing him on beIN Sports as “Zinedine Zidane with power.” It’s hard not to wonder what might have been had Bellingham joined the Gunners. Instead, Real Madrid are now reaping the rewards of having both Bellingham and Mbappé in their ranks.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have re-emerged as Premier League title contenders, but silverware has been limited. In five seasons at the helm, Arteta has just one FA Cup to his name, and the club is still waiting to break past the Champions League quarter-final stage. Bellingham and Mbappé now stand in the way of that next step.

Until Arteta starts turning promise into trophies, he’ll face the same challenge Wenger did: attracting and keeping the very best talent. Beating Real Madrid would be a significant statement, but it remains to be seen whether this Arsenal side is truly ready to rise to the occasion.