Who is Kylian Mbappe? Monaco’s teen sensation set to join Real Madrid for a whopping £161m fee

THE most sought-after youngster in Europe appears to have decided his future.

Real Madrid have reportedly agreed a staggering £161m fee to sign the Monaco star.

And as a sweetener, the French principality will reportedly be permitted to loan back the wonderkid next season.

The fact that the European champions have blown Arsenal out of the water for Mbappe does not come as a huge surprise.

The Gunners were keen on signing the Frenchman last season, but now are unable to offer him Champions League football.

Plus, Mbappe is a massive Real Madrid fan and was proudly pictured with Cristiano Ronaldo as a young teenager.

And he named FIVE Galacticos in his all-time greatest eleven.

We asked our friends at  to take a closer look at the teenager dubbed the next Thierry Henry.

Arsene Wenger previously impressed as Monaco manager and maintains his connections with the club.

He told French TV of the young striker: "Mbappe is exactly, well not exactly Thierry Henry, but it is true that he has similar qualities and the talent is similar, the potential is similar."

And Henry himself has followed his potential successor extremely closely.

He told French radio station RMC: "When I first saw him [Mbappe] play against Tottenham in the Europa League, as soon as I saw him, I knew he was a player. I said: ‘who is he?’

"At 16 and a half [years old], he was asking for the ball, he could dribble, he was having shots, he was winning the ball back and he loved the ball.”

That was during Monaco’s 4-1 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane, with the young forward a glimmer of light in an otherwise poor performance from the Ligue 1 side.

Before the trip to London, Mbappe had only made a two-minute cameo off the bench in the league draw with SM Caen.

Then, with his team losing, Leonardo Jardim unleashed him for the last 34 minutes of the 4-1 defeat.

Mbappe helped set up Monaco’s consolation goal, and certainly stood out from the crowd.

Henry continued: "The desire was there. Mbappe has something special, let’s be honest. If he keeps his head on his shoulders, it will come on its own."

Comparisons to France’s all-time leading goal-scorer are impossible to avoid. Mbappe was also born in the suburbs of Paris, moving to the Clairefontaine academy at an early age.

Just two months after the Spurs defeat, the youngster came off the bench against Troyes with 17 minutes to go. Into stoppage time and Monaco attacked down the left.

Sensing his moment, Mbappe sprinted to keep up with play and his effort was rewarded, picked out inside the area to seal the 3-1 win and score his first goal for the club.

At just 17 years and two months old, that finish broke Henry’s long-standing record.

"He's one of our most promising academy players and his emergence shows we're doing good work," said AS Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev.

"This also demonstrates that young players are given a chance here at Monaco. I believe that at Monaco we have the best sporting project in Europe for young players."

During the summer, the forward became a national star as his performances helped France win the Under-19 European Championships. A double and an assist against Portugal in the semi-finals was the standout moment.

Playing in a 4-4-2, similar to how Henry played with Arsenal under Wenger, Mbappe plays in the front two.

He has the power and pace to push wide, take defenders with him and then burst past opponents, getting into the box.

Monaco’s style suits him perfectly. They love to hit on the break and Mbappé will hug the shoulder of the last defender, looking to get free.

The teenager showed last season that he has a much rounder game than Henry had at this stage.

He can finish comfortably with both feet, but can also use his powerful frame to score with his head.

Mbappe has the footwork to beat defenders off the dribble, or glide past with strength and pace. Plus, he has the movement off the ball to find gaps and time dangerous runs into the box.

The striker will need to ultimately adapt to a front three if he moves to Real Madrid, but another season at Monaco will allow him to prepare for the world's biggest stage in a comfortable environment.