Kylian Mbappé has confirmed that he had concrete negotiations about a move to Liverpool from Monaco in the summer of 2017, and the French striker has also explained why it didn’t happen.
Mbappé broke through as one of the most exciting young players the world has ever seen, at Monaco. In August 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a first-season loan – aged just 18 – after scoring 27 goals and providing 16 assists in 60 appearances for Monaco.
Arsenal ready with the first step – now negotiations await with Arteta’s most important trio of players
In February 2018, PSG triggered their €180 million (£166 million) option to sign the electric striker permanently.
Mbappé became PSG’s all-time leading scorer, scoring an impressive 256 goals in 308 appearances, before ending his contract and signing for Real Madrid in July 2024.
Mbappé has cemented his status as one of the world’s best players – but the 27-year-old’s career could have looked very different.
In an interview with The Athletic, Mbappé confirmed that his mother was eager for him to join Liverpool nine years ago, when the club was coached by the legendary Jürgen Klopp.
In the end, Mbappé rejected Liverpool in favour of PSG. He wanted to play in his hometown of Paris, and he wanted to build a big reputation in France before going to another elite club abroad.
“It was while I was playing in Monaco. I had to make a decision. And yes, I was close to Liverpool,” he said.
“My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp and my mum’s favourite destination was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.
“I didn’t listen, because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country until I was somebody.
“But yes, my mum always said, ‘Liverpool – you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be crazy for you.’ I thought, ‘OK!’
“She went there [for] the first step in the negotiations. She went to the city, she went to the stadium, she met people.
“She said, ‘It’s a great club, everyone’s so kind, it’s a family club, a big club.’
“She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched a few games alone to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine myself in this stadium.
“You have to go to Liverpool”
“All the time we were talking, ‘What do you think, mum?’ She said, ‘For me, you have to go to Liverpool.’ I said, ‘OKAY, OKAY, OKAY!’ because Jürgen Klopp was a fantastic manager. I met him and had a fantastic relationship with him. I had a lot of respect for him.”
While covering France during this year’s World Cup on German TV, Klopp revealed that he had boarded a private plane with Mbappé in 2017 to discuss a possible move to Anfield – calling it “the most expensive non-transfer we’ve ever done”.
Mbappé has now confirmed such conversations, saying, “I remember we were on the plane, and we were swinging around and around in the air as he explained his project.
“I said: ‘You don’t have to convince me. You’re Jürgen Klopp, it’s Liverpool, a great club, so of course – if I’m here, I have some interest. But I have other things, other projects, which are also good.’
“I said to him, ‘Whatever decision I make, it’s going to be a good decision, because we’re talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.’
“It’s a funny story. But in the end, I made the decision to go to PSG, because for me – born and raised in Paris – there was no better feeling than to show that I could be a star in my hometown.”
Read on F7: Urges Christian Eriksen to quit
