Kylian Mbappe Confirms Near-Miss 2016 Liverpool Transfer
Kylian Mbappe has confirmed exactly how close he came to joining Liverpool in 2016, telling The Athletic that his mother wanted him to sign for the club when he was an 18 year old forward at Monaco. The story of the Kylian Mbappe Liverpool transfer that almost happened adds fresh detail to Jurgen Klopp’s own account of trying to sign the Frenchman.
Liverpool, managed by Klopp at the time, made a serious effort to sign the teenager from Monaco, where he was already a regular in Ligue 1. Mbappe has now revealed that his mother was firmly in favour of the move, even though he ultimately chose a different path.
Primary Source Attribution and Family Details of Anfield Visit
Speaking in the interview, reported by BBC Sport, Mbappe explained just how far things went. “I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” he said. “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’.”
Mbappe revealed his mother travelled to Liverpool in person during the negotiations, visiting the city and the stadium to picture what life at the club might look like. “She went to the city, 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’,” he said.
Her impression of Anfield itself went even further. “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,” Mbappe said, describing how seriously his family weighed up the move at the time.
Jurgen Klopp Private Jet Pitch and PSG Decision Context
Klopp has given his own account of the pursuit, and according to the former Liverpool manager, the pitch was built around a private jet. Speaking previously on Magenta TV, Klopp said “the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something” as the club tried to win the race for his signature.
“We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said, recalling the lengths Liverpool went to in order to impress the teenager and his relatives. “We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris.” Mbappe himself called it “a funny story” when reminded of Klopp’s version of events.
Despite his mother’s enthusiasm for Liverpool, Mbappe chose Paris Saint-Germain, joining on loan before a permanent 180 million euro transfer. “I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone,” he explained.
“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 hometown,” Mbappe added, setting out the thinking behind one of the biggest calls of his career.
What Happens Next for Real Madrid Forward Following Revelations
Mbappe spent seven years at PSG before completing a permanent move to Real Madrid in 2024, where he continues his career today. The Kylian Mbappe Liverpool transfer that never happened is now firmly a story from his past rather than any indication of his current plans.
Liverpool supporters have long wondered about the deal that got away, and we previously looked at why he turned down Liverpool fans’ pleas to make the switch in 2016. For those keeping track of the club’s current business, our coverage of recent Liverpool transfer news follows the latest moves at Anfield.
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