Mbappé says he was close to joining Liverpool in 2016 after Klopp courtship
September 22, 2026 19:10
WHAT HAPPENED
Mbappé told The Athletic that his mother was a strong advocate for a move to Liverpool and “fell in love” with Anfield after visiting the stadium. “The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” he said, adding that she travelled to the city, watched games and wanted to imagine him playing there. Mbappé said he chose not to follow that route because he “wanted to play in my city, Paris” and did not want to leave his country before he felt established.
Klopp has described how Liverpool went to considerable lengths to pursue the transfer. Speaking on Magenta TV at the 2026 World Cup, Klopp said the club arranged a flight from Blackpool to Nice, and that “the entire Mbappé family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something.” Klopp said they flew around, spoke with the family and shared food, aiming to avoid public attention, but the meeting did not result in a move and Mbappé went to Paris instead.
KEY CONTEXT
Mbappé later joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan in a deal that included an option to make the transfer permanent for 180m euros (£165.7m). He spent seven years with PSG, became the club’s record scorer and left for Real Madrid in 2024. The player is now 27 and is also France’s all-time leading goalscorer.