Manchester City are reportedly not interested in matching Real Madrid's rumoured world-record bid for AS Monaco winger Kylian Mbappe, despite speculation to the contrary.
The 18-year-old has been strongly linked with a £161m move to the Bernabeu this summer following a remarkable breakthrough campaign which saw him score 26 goals across all competitions to help fire Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-finals.
Mbappe's performances made him one of the most sought-after players in the current transfer window, but reports emerged last week that Real Madrid had won the race for his signature.
The France international is understood to be close to the move, but reports have now surfaced claiming that City could try to hijack the deal by matching Madrid's £161m price.
However, sources from the Etihad Stadium have suggested that City have not made any bids for the teenager and are not interested in signing him this summer, despite having already brought in his former Monaco teammates Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy.
It has been claimed that the story is a ploy in order to drive the price up as high as possible, trying to create a bidding war for Mbappe.
Barney Corkhill
