Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires has urged Arsene Wenger to splash the cash by bringing Kylian Mbappe to the club from AS Monaco.

The France international is rumoured to be on the radar of a number of elite European sides following an impressive breakthrough campaign, driving his valuation beyond the £100m mark.

Pires admits that Mbappe would be a "very expensive" acquisition for the Gunners, but suggests that agreeing a deal could be the key to ending the club's long-running wait for Premier League glory.

"To buy some players, you need to spend a lot of money - and why not?" he told Sky Sports News. "The first objective is to lift a trophy at the end of the season.

"Kylian Mbappe is very good. He is young, he needs to prove, he is only 18, but he is a great player, everybody knows. In France, he played very well for Monaco in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. But, you know, Mbappe is very, very expensive.

"He has a very good profile to play with Arsenal but a lot of clubs want to buy him, especially Real Madrid."

Pires spent six years with Arsenal from 2000, winning two Premier League titles and two FA Cups.