As Kylian Mbappé smashed a right-foot shot past Willy Caballero at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester City’s 5-3 win over AS Monaco in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League, anyone who hadn’t already heard of the teenager sat up and took notice.

Then, in Monaco, when his opening goal of the return leg put the Ligue 1 side on the front foot, eventually knocking Pep Guardiola’s side out of the tournament, if you didn’t believe the hype, you were certainly coming around.

Mbappé’s strike against Troyes last season helped him break Thierry Henry’s record as the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, grabbing the kid some attention, but no one predicted the level of performances that would come next.

A double against SM Caen at the weekend took his tally to 12 league goals this term. Add in his Champions League performances and he has found the net 14 times. In his last nine games, he has been on fire, scoring 11 times. Just like Monaco this campaign, the 18-year-old is almost unstoppable.

With every blistering run, drifting past defenders like they are running in slow motion, or scoring every type of goal you can imagine, interest in the teenager continues to grow.

“Of course we follow him,” said Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger when asked about Mbappé earlier in the season. “We know him very well, and he is developing well. I think he has extended his contract last season with Monaco, so it’s Monaco who will decide about his future. He could be another Thierry Henry.”

Contracted till 2019, Monaco are in a much stronger position than where they were when Anthony Martial left for Manchester United on the very last day of the transfer window.

"The financial situation wasn't the same [when Martial left], said Vadim Vasilyev, Monaco’s vice-president told L’Equipe. “We had a big deficit in 2015, there was Financial Fair Play to think about, and we needed to sell.”

"With this qualification [for the quarter-finals], our budget is balanced and we don't need money. We can treat matters case by case. There's an ongoing project based around Kylian."

That won’t stop the interest and the rumours and even Vasilyev himself admitted as with anything in life, nothing is guaranteed.

He was originally thought to be a winger, but this term he has shown that he has the power and awareness around the penalty area to become a wonderful centre-forward.

When given space, he loves to drift wide left and either power down the wing, or cut inside on to his right-foot. Once he gets into the box, he’s proved time and time again he has the composure and accuracy of a deadly striker.

Most importantly, he looks to have his head firmly fixed on mature shoulders.

"Sorry, but I do not look at what the English press say," he admitted when asked about the rumours of a move. "I remain very calm around this attention I get.”

"I get up in the morning and I go to practice like everyone else. I try to work to improve myself every day and I try to do on the pitch what I do during the training sessions.”

After the Champions League tie against City, it was suggested that Manchester United had pushed Mbappé to the top of their wanted list. Antoine Griezmann was their No.1, but as the France international looks set to stay at Atletico Madrid, attention has turned to the 18-year-old.

It’s difficult to see where he would fit under Jose Mourinho. If Zlatan Ibrahimovic stays, there’s no way the Portuguese boss, or the Swedish forward would move to a front two. Then, add in Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and there is no a lot of space for another forward, regardless of how talented he may be.

The same can be said for their blue rivals across the city. Gabriel Jesus, once he is fit, is Manchester City’s own striking sensation. With Leroy Sane finding his feet and looking a very impressive signing, plus Raheem Sterling, Kelechi Iheanacho and the unknown future of Sergio Agüero, Mbappé’s playing time would be limited.

Jurgen Klopp’s vibrant, high-paced Liverpool side would look a good fit. He would be able to fit and produce quality and competition from any of the forward positions. The teenager has the pace to match Sadio Mane, the finishing and movement to rival Roberto Firmino and the creativity and dribbling skills of Philippe Coutinho.