Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe came close to joining Liverpool back in 2017 and is now the centre of fresh transfer speculation amid reports he wants to leave the French capital
Kylian Mbappe’s future is the subject of intense speculation – and not for the first time.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is desperate to join Real Madrid, but with one year left on his current deal he has angered his paymasters in the French capital by insisting that he be allowed to leave
PSG want to bank a fee for him, and so with the situation at an impasse they have attempted to offload him to Saudi Arabia on a money-spinning deal for just one season.
Mbappe doesn’t want to move to the Saudi Pro League though, and that has raised the incredible possibility of a loan move to Liverpool, who have long been credited with an interest in the superstar.
Mbappe was close to heading to Anfield before joining PSG from Monaco back in 2017 – and L’Equipe claimed previously that he held a two-hour meeting with Reds owner John W Henry on his private jet.
They reported that Henry attempted to win over Mbappe and his family in early 2017 by flying his private jet to Monaco and inviting them on board. They are said to have flown over the bay of Nice and its surroundings for two hours as they discussed his future before the Reds eventually missed out.
The support of Nike, Mbappe and Liverpool’s major sponsors, could give them an increased chance of landing the striker if he decides to move on.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is a known admirer of Mbappe, although he has previously insisted they could not afford a move for the striker.
When speculation ramped up surrounding Mbappe back in early 2021, Reds legend Jamie Carragher admitted he believed at the time Liverpool had a realistic chance of making the blockbuster signing.
“I’m not joking,” Carragher told CBS Sports when asked why he felt the Reds had a realistic chance of signing Mbappe.
Speaking before Liverpool faced PSG back in 2018, Klopp told RMC Sport: “I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and a nice lad as well, so he’s a really good kid. What a player, what a player.
“Everyone knows him since he was 16, 17, when he impressed in Monaco’s youth teams, and I saw videos of him when he was 17 and he destroyed defensive lines as he is doing now.
“He’s at an unbelievable level of consistency at that age. He’s an outstanding player, that’s clear, but he can deliver, deliver and deliver, which shows he’s really good educated boy and he knows what he is doing.”
“It was based on the fact that Liverpool thought they had a decent chance of getting Mbappe when he was at Monaco. I know Jurgen Klopp had spoken to him then and I’m sure other clubs had at that time.
“When Liverpool were in the Champions League final and won the Champions League a couple of years ago, I think anyone watching Liverpool there with Jurgen Klopp and the support of Anfield, if you’re ever gonna go to a club in England before you go to Real Madrid…
“Because I think he will, guaranteed, play for Real Madrid at some stage in his career but I’d always feel that maybe Liverpool is that perfect destination for a player like that before you make that next step.”
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