Mbappe’s mum ‘fell in love’Titone/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
Kylian Mbappe has revealed how close he was to joining Liverpool in 2017 after his mum encouraged him to join Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield.
The France international was the most sought-after young talent in world football after his remarkable breakout season at Monaco.
In 2017, Paris Saint-Germain signed him on an initial season-long loan deal with the move made permanent a year later for a colossal €180million (£165m).
Mbappe revealed in an interview with The Athletic that his mother’s heart was set on Merseyside after she ‘fell in love’ with Anfield, however.
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Mbappe said: ‘I had to take a decision. And yes, I was close to Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.
‘She went there (for) the first step of the negotiations. 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”.
‘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 had no shortage of offers when he left Monaco (Picture: Getty)
Mbappe went on to win six Ligue 1 titles with PSG – he was a Champions League runners-up with them in 2020 – before joining Real Madrid in June 2024.
He added: ‘I remember we were on the plane and we were turning around and around in the air while he (Klopp) was explaining his project.
Mbappe was convinced by Klopp’s project… but wanted to return home (Picture: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
‘I said, “You don’t need to convince me. You’re Jurgen 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”.
‘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.’
