Ex-Spurs striker Bent names two Arsenal stars he would ‘give up’ to sign Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus celebrate a goal.

Former Premier League striker Darren Bent insists he would “give up” two of the best players at Arsenal to see Kylian Mbappe join the club.

The Gunners are back in form with four wins in their last four Premier League matches catapulting them back to within two points of leaders Liverpool.

It comes after a spell in December which saw them lose three of their seven Premier League games and their grip on the title race.

But Mikel Arteta’s side have scored 16 goals in their last four league outings and any claims they need a new goal-scoring forward to challenge for the title have gone quiet, for now.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Mbappe with the forward informing the French club that he will be leaving on a free transfer in the summer.

Real Madrid are leading the race for his signature but Arsenal and Liverpool have been credited with interest but are unable to afford his huge wages.

But on hearing the news that Mbappe had told PSG that he will be leaving, former Tottenham striker Bent – who is an avid Arsenal fan – would allow either Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard leave with Gabriel Jesus if it meant signing Mbappe.

“I’m not giving up Saka and Odegaard. I’d give up Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard, or Gabriel Jesus and Saka,” Bent said on talkSPORT.

“That pains me because Saka, an academy graduate, but you are talking about arguably the best player on the planet and he’s not old, he’s young.

“You’d have a centre-forward who was going to smash goals in and he can play on that right-hand side as well.”

When quizzed on the speculation about Mbappe, Arsenal boss Arteta told a pre-match press conference on Friday: “When there is a player of that calibre we always have to be in the conversation,’ the Spaniard said at his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Burnley.

“If we want to be the best team, we are going to need the best talent and the best players, that is for sure.”

Despite the recent announcement about his future, Mbappe had actually made his mind up about leaving PSG in December.

Relevo journalist Matteo Moretto wrote in his Caught Offside column: “The important step was to tell PSG that he was not going to renew with them, but he already had that in mind in December. He was clear that he wanted a change, he was looking for a new challenge. That’s what this is about.

“We’re not sure when the official announcement will come, Jude Bellingham was done a month before they announced it at Real Madrid, so that’s not yet decided.”