Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he was close to joining Liverpool before eventually moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Mbappe was one of Europe’s most sought-after young talents after breaking through at Monaco, prompting several top clubs to compete for his signature as he prepared to leave the Ligue 1 side.
Liverpool were reportedly among the clubs strongly interested in securing the French forward, with then-manager Jurgen Klopp taking steps to convince Mbappe and his family to move to Anfield.
According to Mbappe, his mother was particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of him joining Liverpool. She travelled to England, visited the club and attended matches at Anfield as she considered what life at the Premier League club could be like for her son.
“I was close to Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” Mbappe told The Athletic.
“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone. But yes, my mum was always saying, ‘Liverpool — you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.’ I was like, ‘OK!’
“She went there (for) the first step of the negotiations. She went to the city, the stadium, she met the people. She was like, ‘It’s a wonderful club, everybody’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 me in this stadium.
“All the time we were talking. ‘What do you think, Mum?’ She’d say, ‘For me, you have to go to Liverpool. I said, ‘OK, OK, OK!’ because Jurgen Klopp was an amazing manager. I met him and had a wonderful relationship with him. I had big respect for him.”
Despite the interest from Liverpool, Mbappe ultimately chose to remain in France. He joined Paris Saint-Germain on an initial loan from Monaco before completing a permanent transfer to the Parisian club the following year.
Mbappe went on to establish himself as one of the leading players in world football during his time at PSG before eventually joining Real Madrid.
His latest revelation offers a glimpse into how close Liverpool came to securing the highly rated teenager before he chose to continue his development in his hometown of Paris.
