Kylian Mbappe almost joined Liverpool several years ago with more details having come to light
Jurgen Klopp and Kylian Mbappe
Jurgen Klopp and Kylian Mbappe(Image: Getty Images)
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The majority of Liverpool players will report back to the club's training base next week for pre-season duties. A summer of transition for the Reds has seen Arne Slot replaced by Andoni Iraola.
The club have yet to really flex their spending power in the transfer window, however. Despite only signing Victor Munoz from Osasuna so far this summer, expectations are that the Reds will spend more.
However, today's latest focuses on two major moves that never came to fruition. Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has opened up on the Reds' sensational move for French idol Kylian Mbappe. Elsewhere, an international winger has touched on how his switch to Liverpool failed to materialise.
Jurgen Klopp opens up on Mbappe move
Klopp has lifted the lid on Liverpool's attempts to sign Mbappe while the French star was playing for Monaco. Rumours have been rife for some time that the Anfield outfit attempted to bring the striker to the club.
Klopp has moved to confirm that the gossip is indeed true. The German claimed to have held talks with the superstar forward on a private jet.
Speaking during MagentaTV’s coverage of France’s World Cup quarter-final against win over Morocco on Thursday, Klopp said: "The most expensive non-transfer we [Liverpool] invested in.
Kylian Mbappe (L) and German coach Jurgen Klopp talk after the 2026 World Cup football tournament quarter-final match between France and Morocco
Kylian Mbappe and Jurgen Klopp talk after the 2026 World Cup quarter-final match between France and Morocco(Image: Getty)
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"We flew from Blackpool to Nice. In Nice, the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something.
"We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food. We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris…”
Mbappe ultimately signed for Paris Saint-Germain and now plays for Real Madrid. He is currently leading the World Cup Golden Boot race with eight goals and has hit the net 86 times in 103 appearances for Los Blancos.
Winger reveals Reds regret
Paris FC winger Moses Simon has revealed how he nearly joined Liverpool. The 30-year-old is coming off the back of his maiden season with the Ligue 1 side after making a switch from Nantes.
He has enjoyed a successful career across Belgium, France and the Nigerian national team. But it all could have been very different.
Speaking in an interview with Urban Dwell Sport, he said: “From 2016 to 2018, I dropped in form because I wanted to make a transfer.
Moses Simon of Nigeria during the International Friendly match between Portugal and Nigeria at Estadio Dr Magalhaes Pessoa on June 10, 2026
Moses Simon opened up on his failed Liverpool switch(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
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“Liverpool wanted to sign me, I think Hull City, Fulham, Brighton, Tottenham, and Lyon also. We played against them in the Europa League in 2017.
“But, you know, when you read all this in the newspapers, some are true while some are rumours. So the first year, I didn’t make it. I didn’t get a transfer. The second year, I was supposed to go to Liverpool. It didn’t work.
“In my head, I was like, ‘Is it the agent or the club? I don’t want to play.’ So I was putting it in my head: ‘Whether I play or I don’t play, I don’t care.”
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