Mbappe Reveals How Close He Came To Joining Liverpool

Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he came close to joining Liverpool in 2016 while playing for Monaco, but chose Paris St-Germain after going against his mother’s advice.

The France and Real Madrid striker was 18 at the time and had attracted strong interest from Liverpool under manager Jurgen Klopp.

Speaking to The Athletic, Mbappe said his mother was a “big fan” of Klopp and wanted him to move to Merseyside.

“I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” he said.

Mbappe explained that he preferred to remain in Paris because he wanted to establish himself in his hometown before leaving France.

“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 added.

Mbappe said his mother travelled to Liverpool during the “first step” of negotiations and visited Anfield to experience its atmosphere.

“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,” he said.

Klopp later revealed that Liverpool went to considerable lengths to persuade the teenager and his family.

Speaking on Magenta TV during the 2026 World Cup, the former Liverpool manager said the club arranged a private jet from Blackpool to Nice, where “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,” Klopp said.

The move ultimately failed as Mbappe joined PSG on loan in 2017 before completing a permanent €180m (£165.7m) transfer.

He spent seven years in Paris, became the club’s record scorer and joined Real Madrid in 2024.