Jurgen Klopp surprised everyone by revealing just how close Liverpool came to signing Kylian Mbappe.
Jurgen Klopp recently shared a story about the time he tried to sign Kylian Mbappe for Liverpool while they were flying around on a private jet with Mbappe’s family.
Liverpool first showed interest in Mbappe back in the summer of 2017, after he scored 26 goals and made eight assists as Monaco won the Ligue 1 title. Many top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal were watching him, but Paris Saint-Germain ended up signing him in a huge deal worth around £166 million.
What many people don’t know is that Liverpool made a big effort to get Mbappe before he joined PSG. Speaking to MagentaTV before France’s quarter-final against Morocco, Klopp talked about flying to Nice with Mbappe’s family on a private plane with five rooms.
Klopp said, “It was the most expensive non-transfer we invested in. We flew from Blackpool to Nice. Then the whole Mbappe family got on the plane. We flew around in circles, talked with them, ate good food, and had to stay out of sight. It was fantastic. But then he went to Paris.”
Mbappe also confirmed Liverpool’s interest in a 2022 interview with the Daily Telegraph. He said, “We talked a little bit. I talked to Liverpool because it’s my mum’s favorite club. I don’t know why, you’ll have to ask her. It’s a big club, and we met them five years ago when I was at Monaco.”
Journalist Melissa Reddy added more details, saying back in February 2016, when Mbappe hadn’t signed pro contracts with Monaco yet, Liverpool had already been watching him for 16 months. She said it was “practically impossible” to sign him because he was expected to be the best player in the world, and PSG and Real Madrid were offering huge money Liverpool couldn’t match. But Klopp still wanted to try, and Mbappe’s mum was very keen on it.
According to L’Equipe, Mbappe was even close to joining Liverpool in 2022 as he thought about leaving Paris. He reportedly had a verbal agreement after Liverpool made a €200m (£169 million) offer. However, he ended up signing for Real Madrid in 2024.