Liverpool could try to fit him in their new system after trying to sign him back in May
Liverpool could try to fit him in their new system after trying to sign him back in May
A long-standing desire for Klopp
In May, when Mbappe seemed headed for the Santiago Bernabeu, the German coach spoke of the Frenchman.
“Of course we are interested,” said Klopp. “We like Kylian, we are not blind. But we are not going to sign him, we are not in this battle.
However Mbappe poured cold water on a possible move, stating they weren’t a realistic option.
“I have spoken to Liverpool because [red] is my mother’s favorite color and my mother loves Liverpool,” he said.
“Why? I don’t know, ask her. We met them a few years ago when I was at Monaco, it’s a great club.
“We talked to them a little bit, but not much. In the end it was between Real Madrid and PSG.”
The only time he visited Merseyside (Champions League 2018/19 group stage), Kylian scored, chatted and hugged Klopp, but his team lost (3-2).
Darwin Nunez and a much-needed coup
Liverpool are in their worst moment of the ‘Klopp era’. The Reds sit 11th, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and six points off the Champions League places with a game in hand.
They have never started a Premier League season so poorly with the German. A crisis caused by injuries and the poor performance of their key players.
After Sadio Mane‘s departure to Bayern Munich, Mohamed Salah has just two league goals and Diogo Jota, back from his injuries, has none.
Luis Diaz (three goals) has suffered a serious injury and will not play until 2023, and the signing of Darwin Nunez hasn’t paid off.
The Uruguayan ‘9’, the second most expensive signing in the history of the Reds (75 million), still has to settle and has scored just two goals in the Premier League.
Roberto Firmino, who started as the penultimate option, is their best performer (six goals). Mbappe would be a necessary signing as they look to turn things around.
How would Mbappe fit in at Liverpool?
In the last two games against Arsenal (3-2 defeat) and Rangers (2-0 win), Klopp has abandoned his trident and classic 1-4-3-3 for a 1-4-2-3-1 where he can fit in all his attackers.
“We have to change,” he said. “You never know if it’s the right time, but it had to be done.”
Klopp has placed Luis Diaz on the left, Salah on the right, Jota in the midfield and Darwin as the ‘9’. In any of the two systems, Mbappe would fit comfortably on the left. That’s where Luis Diaz is.
And if Kylian arrives at Anfield, Klopp would have to redesign his attack. The Frenchman is not so fond of playing as a ‘9’, as he has shown in recent weeks in Paris.
It’s a problem he wouldn’t have in Merseyside with Darwin, who would ‘free’ him up.
In addition, Liverpool’s style, which involves intense pressure, pace and the speed and space to play in the open field, fits perfectly with his qualities.
Can Liverpool afford Mbappe?
Liverpool were interested in Mbappe in 2021/22, and he would have arrived at Anfield (or Real Madrid) on a free after paying him a hefty signing on fee.
However, Kylian renewed with the Parisian side until 2025, and getting him out of the Parc des Princes isn’t as simple now.
If PSG were open to selling him (which MARCA has learned is difficult) the signing could cost more than 200 million euros if you consider the Real Madrid offer rejected in the summer of 2021 and the market value of the player (160 million according to Transfermarkt).
It would be the most expensive transfer in history, beating Neymar’s.
Not to mention an astronomical salary (50 million net per year and more than 100 as a bonus), especially when you consider Liverpool spent (90 million) almost as much as they received (81) last summer.
The Reds have the financial and TV muscle that all the Premier League giants have to fit his signing into the Financial Fair Play parameters.
“They could surely buy Mbappe for more than 200 million, signing him on a five-year contract and paying him a high salary. In addition, if they sold him with two years left on his contract, they would recover a large part of the transfer fee,” Kieran Maguire, professor and head of the economic portal ‘Price of Football’, told MARCA.
“They would easily comply with Financial Fair Play as they have the margin having won a lot in the Premier League and Champions League in recent years.”
The Reds earned 116 million in the last Champions League, in which they were runners-up, and 172 million from the Premier League, in which they finished behind City. They have cash.
A crazy duel with Haaland
Haaland, after his move to Manchester City and his impressive scoring run in the Premier League, is taking all the headlines from Mbappe, who continues to compete in Ligue 1.
However, if the Frenchman were to join Liverpool, the Premier League would have the closest thing to the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo battle that dominated LaLiga Santander for a decade.
Erling’s City and Kylian’s Liverpool would take the league to new heights.
Pep Guardiola‘s side won the league in 2019 and 2022 by one point after an epic head-to-head battle with the Reds.
With Mbappe, Liverpool would be rejuvenated and open a new era in football. The Frenchman is 23 years old and the Norwegian is 22.
Both are destined to fight for top spot in world football over the next 10 years.
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