Kylian Mbappe drops Liverpool bombshell – “I was close…” | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe Reveals How Close He Came to Liverpool Under Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool have collected their share of transfer stories involving players who came tantalisingly close to Anfield. Few, though, carry quite the weight of Kylian Mbappe.

The Real Madrid forward has revealed just how seriously Liverpool were considered when he prepared to leave Monaco in 2017. Jurgen Klopp was central to the attraction, particularly for Mbappe’s mother, Fayza Lamari, who actively explored the possibility of her son moving to Merseyside.

Liverpool Move Had Genuine Momentum

Mbappe was 18 and already one of European football’s most coveted talents following Monaco’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2016/17.

Liverpool were among the clubs attempting to secure his signature, and Mbappe has now explained how far the process progressed in an interview with The Athletic.

“It was while I was playing in Monaco. I had to take a decision and yes, 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.

“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 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!’

Photo: IMAGO

His mother went considerably further than simply suggesting Liverpool.

“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.”

Jurgen Klopp Held Secret Mbappe Talks

Perhaps the most fascinating detail concerns Jurgen Klopp himself.

Mbappe revealed that negotiations with the Liverpool manager were conducted aboard a private jet which flew around while discussions took place, an extraordinary measure designed to prevent anyone discovering their meeting.

Liverpool clearly had serious intent. Mbappe, however, felt Paris was where his career needed to continue.

“In the end, I took the decision to go to PSG because for me, born and raised in Paris, there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my hometown.”

That decision transformed PSG’s history. Mbappe scored 256 goals in 308 appearances for the French club before eventually joining Real Madrid in 2024.

Liverpool Found Their Own Route to Glory

Summer 2017 proved pivotal at Anfield for another reason. Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah from Roma, adding him to an attack containing Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Under Jurgen Klopp, that forward line became one of Europe’s defining attacking units. Liverpool reached consecutive Champions League finals, won the competition in 2019 and eventually ended their 30 year wait for an English league title in 2020.

Mbappe, meanwhile, developed into one of his generation’s outstanding goalscorers, winning the World Cup with France and later moving to Real Madrid.

For Liverpool supporters, his revelation provides one of football’s great alternative histories. Mbappe at Anfield under Klopp was not simply an idea discussed from afar. Meetings took place, negotiations progressed and his mother had already pictured him playing in front of the Kop.

Paris ultimately proved too powerful a pull for an 18 year old determined to establish himself in his home city.

Liverpool moved on, built a European and Premier League winning attack, and created their own era under Klopp. Still, the thought of Mbappe joining Salah, Mane and Firmino remains one of the more extraordinary Liverpool transfer possibilities of the modern era.