Kylian Mbappé revealed that he was close to becoming a Liverpool player when he was still at Monaco, before deciding on his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
In an interview with The Athletic, the Real Madrid forward recalled the negotiations he held with the English club when he was just 18 and explained that his mother was a great admirer of Jürgen Klopp and wanted him to continue his career at Anfield.
“It was when I played in Monaco.I had to make a decision.And yes, I was close to Liverpool.My mother was a great fan of Jürgen Klopp and his favorite destination for me was Liverpool.I wanted him to be there.”
Mbappé’s family became directly involved in the talks. Her mother traveled to Liverpool, visited the stadium and attended matches to know the atmosphere that would have surrounded the footballer if he had finally accepted the proposal of the English team.
The French forward explained that his mother even went alone to some meetings in Anfield because she wanted to know first-hand the atmosphere of the stadium.
“She was there for the first phase of the negotiations.She visited the city, went to the stadium and met people.She said, ‘It’s a wonderful club, everyone is very kind; it’s a family club, a great club’,” he said.
“She went to Anfield and was amazed. she saw some games alone to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine myself at that stadium.
“We were talking all the time. “What do you think, Mom?” She said, “For me, you have to go to Liverpool.” I answered, ‘Well, well, well!’ because Jürgen Klopp was an incredible coach. I knew him and I had a wonderful relationship with him. I had a great respect for him.”
Kylian Mbappe’s career could have taken a different path in 2017 with a move to Liverpool, at the age of 18. Was it closed? Well, close enough that his mom, Fayza Lamari, doubling up as his agent, had more than one reconnaissance trip to Merseyside and recommended that he made the? pic.twitter.com/Bg2vbYJ1Xo
The negotiations came to such a point that Mbappé met with Klopp to get to know the Liverpool project.
The German coach himself said earlier that a delegation from the club travelled from Blackpool to Nice to meet the young forward and his family. Klopp recalled that operation as one of the big drawings Liverpool was close to.
“Liverpool really did everything possible.We just flew in circles, talked to the family and a delicious meal.
“We flew in circles—it was great—and then he went to Paris!”
Mbappé also recalled that meeting and explained that Klopp came to present his project while both were on a plane.
“I remember we were on the plane and were turning around in the air as he explained his project to me.”
Despite the interest of the English club and the insistence of his mother, Mbappé decided that his next destination should be Paris.
“I didn’t pay attention to him because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I made a name. But yes, my mother always said, ‘Liverpool... you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be incredible for you.’ And I replied, “It’s worth it!”
The attacker explained that he also had other proposals and that he considered any of the big clubs interested could be a good choice for his career.
I said, “You don’t need to convince me. You’re Jürgen Klopp, it’s Liverpool, a great club; so, of course, if I’m here it’s because I have some interest. But I have other things, other projects, which are also good.”
“I told him, ‘Any decision you make will be good, because we’re talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.’
“But in the end I decided to go to PSG because, for me — who was born and raised in Paris — there was no better feeling than to show that I could be a star in my own city.”
The Paris Saint-Germain club incorporated Mbappé from Monaco in 2017 through a sale with a purchase option of 180 million euros.
After four seasons in Paris, he left PSG and finally signed for Real Madrid in 2024.
Prior to his arrival, Mbappé had already publicly acknowledged that his options in 2017 included PSG and Real Madrid, although he now revealed in greater detail to what extent Liverpool was involved in that decision.
The election ended by defining the following chapter of his career: instead of moving to England with Klopp, Mbappé remained in France and began his stage as one of the main figures of the PSG.
