Emmanuel Petit has identified Arsenal as the ideal destination for Kylian Mbappe should the French superstar depart Real Madrid this summer, as a record-breaking petition calling for his exit from the Bernabeu continues to gather extraordinary momentum.
With the 2025/26 season entering its decisive phase, Arsenal sit atop the Premier League table with destiny in their own hands and are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Regardless of the outcome of those campaigns, Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are expected to be proactive in the upcoming transfer window.
The Arsenal legend and former France international believes Mbappe would be a transformative signing for the Gunners.
“Arsenal would love Kylian Mbappe and he’d be perfect on their left wing,” Petit told the London Evening Standard.
Mbappe has delivered impressive individual numbers since arriving at Real Madrid on a free transfer from PSG in the summer of 2024, scoring 85 goals and providing 11 assists in 100 appearances. However, the club have endured a second successive season without major silverware, with growing fan frustration centred on the perceived incompatibility between Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. Additional scrutiny followed Mbappe’s decision to take a break in Italy with his partner while recovering from injury.
Petit acknowledges the challenges facing his compatriot but remains convinced Arsenal represent an outstanding fit.
“The only reason I think Mbappe will stay at Real Madrid is because if he leaves without winning a trophy it would make his move a failure,” he added. “Mbappe has a huge ego so he will probably want to stay and to prove the opposite. I’m pretty sure about that.
“I don’t see him leaving Madrid, probably the biggest club in the world, unless the decision is made for him.”
The situation at the Bernabeu has escalated dramatically with an online petition demanding “Mbappe out”. Originally aiming for 200,000 signatures, the petition has now shattered Guinness World Records with over 65 million names — 65,000,336 at the latest count — although not all signatories are necessarily Real Madrid supporters.
Petit believes this unprecedented pressure could force club president Florentino Perez’s hand.
“The petition of ten million Madrid fans that want Mbappe to leave, I have never seen that before,” he said. “If I were Florentino Perez, to be honest with you, I would make a huge turnover in the dressing room next transfer window.
“You can see that the egos of the players are becoming the biggest issue in this club. They are becoming impossible to manage.”
The former midfielder also highlighted the broader implications for Arsenal. “If Arsenal win the Champions League for the first time then it would change the course of their history and send a strong message in the transfer market.”
Despite the turbulence, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported earlier this week that Real Madrid have no intention of selling Mbappe in the summer. That stance has not prevented interest from the Premier League, however.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke, speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, revealed that Liverpool are monitoring the situation closely.
“I’m sure they would love the chance to try and [sign] Kylian Mbappe, undoubtedly one of the world’s best players,” O’Rourke said. “He would be a dream signing for the Premier League… It would be great to see him in the Premier League.
“If the door does open for Mbappe, you would expect all the Premier League big-guns to try and lure him away because that opportunity to sign a player like Mbappe doesn’t come around too often.”
For Arsenal, the possibility of adding a player of Mbappe’s calibre would represent a statement of intent following what could be a historic season. Whether Perez yields to fan pressure or Mbappe chooses to fight on at the Santiago Bernabeu remains to be seen, but the speculation surrounding one of football’s biggest stars shows no sign of fading.