Liverpool’s search for transformative attacking talent in the summer of 2017 led them to the very top of world football’s target list, with the club making a concerted attempt to sign Kylian Mbappé from Monaco before his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fenway Sports Group, led by principal owner John W. Henry and then-sporting director Michael Edwards, sanctioned an ambitious charm offensive to lure the Frenchman to Merseyside. Former manager Jürgen Klopp held direct talks with the player’s family on board a chartered private jet that flew over France, presenting the club’s long-term sporting project.
The approach made a profound impression on Mbappé’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, who made secret visits to Liverpool, attended matches at Anfield alone to sample the atmosphere, and strongly advocated for her son to choose Anfield over competing offers across Europe.
How Liverpool Pushed to Beat PSG and Real Madrid
During the summer of 2017, Mbappé was the most coveted teenager in world football after leading Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and the semi-finals of the Champions League. Liverpool were aware of stiff competition from PSG and Real Madrid, but determined to test the waters.
FSG chartered a private jet that flew from Blackpool to Nice to pick up Mbappé and his representatives. Over a meal inside the five-room aircraft, Klopp pitched how the young forward would fit into Liverpool’s tactical setup.
Speaking about the encounter, Mbappé recalled:
“I remember we were on the plane and we were turning around and around in the air while he was explaining his project. 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, I have some interest. But I have other things, other projects, that are also good.’ I said to him, ‘Whatever decision I take is going to be a good decision because we are talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.’”
Klopp later characterised the talks as “the most expensive non-transfer” Liverpool had ever been involved in, citing the operational effort and resources deployed to pitch to the player.
“My Mum Fell in Love with Anfield”
While Mbappé held options across Europe, his mother was convinced that Merseyside was the ideal destination for his development.
“Yes, I was close to Liverpool,” Mbappé admitted. “My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.”
Lamari traveled to England to conduct preliminary talks with Liverpool officials, taking time to evaluate the city and the environment surrounding the club.
“She went there [for] the first step of the negotiations,” Mbappé added. “She went to the city, she went to the stadium, she met the people. She was like, ‘It’s a wonderful club, everybody’s so kind, it’s a family club, a big club.’ She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched a few games alone, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me in this stadium.”
The strong impression left by Anfield resulted in repeated attempts at home to steer the transfer toward England:
“All the time we were talking. ‘What do you think, mum?’ She’d say, ‘For me, you have to go to Liverpool.’ I said, ‘OK, OK, OK!’ because Jürgen Klopp was an amazing manager. I met him and had a wonderful relationship with him. I had big respect for him. But yes, my mum was always saying ‘Liverpool – you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.’ I was like, ‘OK!’”
The Final Decision
Despite the enthusiasm from his family and the pitch from Klopp, Mbappé ultimately decided that remaining in France was the necessary step for his career at that age.
“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone. It’s a funny story. But in the end I took the decision to go to PSG because for me, born and raised in Paris, there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my home town.”
Mbappé subsequently joined PSG in a deal structured as an initial loan with an obligation to buy for €180 million (£166 million), before eventually departing for Real Madrid in 2024.
After missing out on Mbappé, Liverpool pivoted their recruitment focus under Edwards and Klopp, completing the signing of Mohamed Salah from Roma for £36.9 million later that summer a move that laid the foundation for the club’s Champions League and Premier League triumphs in the years that followed.