Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino believes Kylian Mbappe should be the heir to Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge.
Spanish striker Costa faces an uncertain future at the champions after Antonio Conte informed him that he would not be in his plans for next season.
Romelu Lukaku is Chelsea’s first-choice to become their new first-choice centre forward though with Atletico Madrid under a transfer embargo and Chinese authorities tightening the sanctions on high-priced imports where Costa might go remains unclear.
However Cascarino believes Lukaku is “not the finished article” and that Conte should be targeting an 18-year-old who has proven to be Europe’s hottest young striking sensation.
“I’d go straight in for Kylian Mbappe at Monaco,” Cascarino told FourFourTwo. “You might end up spending £50m more, but you have potentially the best player in world football.
“Yes, it would cost in excess of £100m, but Chelsea are one of the few clubs who could do that.
“The only thing I’d wonder about is that he’s a teenager, but he’s the most dangerous striker there is.”
In Pictures | Kylian Mbappe's meteoric rise at Monaco
Mbappe, who scored 26 goals in 44 games for Monaco last season, is being coveted by a host of Europe’s top clubs, including Paris St Germain and Real Madrid.
Arsenal have also emerged as dark horses for his signature after submitting an informal £87million bid for Mbappe, with Wenger hoping his personal relationship with the striker, track record of bringing the best out of young forwards and the guarantee of a starring role can swing the youngster to the Emirates.
