Kylian Mbappe has revealed that Liverpool came close to signing him in 2017, but he rejected the move because he wanted to remain in Paris and establish himself in the city where he was born and raised.
The French forward was one of Europe’s most sought-after young players that summer after helping Monaco win the French league title and scoring six goals during the Champions League knockout stages as his side reached the semi-finals.
Liverpool were among the clubs competing for his signature, with then-manager Jurgen Klopp making a significant effort to convince Mbappe and his family that Anfield was the right destination.
However, Mbappe’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, actually favoured a move to Liverpool. She was a fan of Klopp and travelled to England during the negotiations to visit the club’s stadium and experience the atmosphere for herself.
Mbappe told The Athletic: ” My mother was a huge fan of Jurgen Klopp, and her favorite destination for me was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.”
The forward explained why he eventually went against his mother’s preference.
“I didn’t listen to her because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I became someone important. She always told me, ‘Liverpool, you’ll play at Anfield, and it will be crazy for you.'”
Lamari’s interest in the move went beyond simply supporting Liverpool. She visited Anfield, watched matches and met club officials while trying to understand what life at the club could be like for her son.
Mbappe recalled: “She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched some matches on her own to get a feel for the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me playing in this stadium.”
Klopp also made a personal effort to persuade the teenager. During the negotiations, Mbappe and his family travelled with the German manager on a private plane.
Klopp later described the meeting during World Cup coverage on German television.
“It was the most expensive transfer that never happened and we invested in it. We traveled from Blackpool to Nice, and there the entire Mbappe family boarded a private plane with five rooms or so.”
He added: “We did everything we could, then we flew in a circle, talked to the family, ate good food, and couldn’t be seen, and then he went to Paris!”
Despite Liverpool’s efforts and his mother’s preference, Mbappe had already developed a strong desire to remain in France.
He said of his conversation with Klopp: “I told him you don’t need to convince me, you are Jurgen Klopp, this is Liverpool, it’s a great club, and of course I’m interested if I’m here, but I have other good things and projects too.”
Mbappe continued: “I told him that any decision I make will be a good decision, because we are talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Paris Saint-Germain eventually secured the young forward, initially taking him on loan before completing a transfer worth around 180 million euros the following summer.
For Mbappe, the attraction was not simply about choosing between two major European clubs. His priority was to become a leading player in his home city.
“It’s a funny story, but in the end I made the decision to go to Paris Saint-Germain, because for me, since I was born and raised in Paris, there was no better feeling than proving that I could be a star in my own city.”
His mother and agent later questioned whether remaining in France would provide enough of a challenge, telling him after his move to PSG in 2017: “You are a football genius, Kylian, aren’t you afraid of getting bored in the French league?”
Liverpool subsequently moved in a different direction, signing Mohamed Salah from Roma after failing to secure Mbappe.
Salah went on to become one of the most successful players in Liverpool’s modern history, winning the club’s major available trophies and eventually leaving as its third-highest goalscorer.
What might have happened had Mbappe joined Liverpool instead remains unknown. His career could have developed differently, while his style may not necessarily have suited the work rate and intensity that were important elements of Klopp’s Liverpool.
