Kylian Mbappé has revealed that he came remarkably close to joining Liverpool prior to his high-profile transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, with initial talks led by his mother, Fayza Lamari, who strongly favored a move to Anfield.
The negotiations unfolded in the summer of 2017 following Mbappé’s breakout campaign with Monaco, during which he claimed the Ligue 1 title and reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals—a run that established him as a premier target for Real Madrid, PSG, and Liverpool.
Speaking to The Athletic, Mbappé stated: “I was close to Liverpool. My mother was a huge fan of Jürgen Klopp, and Liverpool was her favorite destination—she really wanted me to go there.”
He added: “I didn’t listen to her because I wanted to play in my home city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before establishing my name, but my mother was always saying: ‘Liverpool, you’ll play at Anfield, and it will be incredible for you.'”
Mbappé continued: “My mother went to Liverpool during the initial phase of negotiations, toured the city and stadium, and met with club officials. She told me it was a fantastic club, everyone was warm, and it had a great family feel despite its size.”
He elaborated: “She even went to Anfield and watched some matches alone to feel the atmosphere and imagine me playing on that pitch. I also met with Klopp; we had a great relationship, and I held tremendous respect for him.”
One of the key negotiation sessions took place aboard a private plane transporting Mbappé’s family to meet Klopp discreetly. Ultimately, the French forward selected PSG, initially joining on loan before the move was made permanent in a €180 million transfer from Monaco.
Liverpool briefly re-entered the picture prior to Mbappé’s contract renewal with PSG in 2022, with the player confirming discussions with the Merseyside club at the time. He remained in France until securing a free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, leaving Klopp’s 2017 pursuit as one of Anfield’s most famous near-misses.
