Kylian Mbappe has revealed that his mother “fell in love”. Liverpool during negotiations over a potential move to Anfield before he eventually opted to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe was one of Europe’s most sought-after young players when he left Monaco in 2017, with Liverpool among the clubs trying to convince the France international to continue his career on Merseyside.
The striker has now explained that he was “close to Liverpool”, with his mother particularly keen on the idea of seeing her son play at Anfield.
“It was while I was playing in Monaco. I had to make a decision. And yes, I was close to Liverpool. My mother was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp and my mother’s favorite destination was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.
“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was somebody. But yeah, my mum always said ‘Liverpool, you’ll be there, playing at Anfield, it’ll be crazy for you.’ I said, “Okay!”
Mbappe’s mother even traveled to Liverpool as part of early negotiations, visiting the city and Anfield before returning to discuss the possibility with her son.
“She went there (for) the first step of the negotiations. She went to the city, she went to the stadium, she met the people. She said: ‘It’s a wonderful club, everyone is very friendly, it’s a family club, a great club.’
“She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched a few games by herself, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine myself in that stadium.”
Klopp did his best to convince Mbappe
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has previously revealed how far the club went in a bid to sign Mbappe.
Speaking while working as a pundit during the World Cup, Klopp recalled how a Liverpool delegation traveled from Blackpool to Nice to meet Mbappe and his family on a private jet.
“Liverpool really pulled out all the stops,” Klopp said. “We flew in circles, talked to family and had a delicious meal. They wouldn’t let us see.
“We flew in circles, it was great, and then it was off to Paris!”
Mbappe also recalled the unusual meeting, explaining how Klopp used the flight to outline Liverpool’s plans for his future.
“I remember we were on the plane and we were going round and round in the air as he explained his project,” said Mbappé.
“I said, ‘You don’t need to convince me. You are Jürgen Klopp, it’s Liverpool, a big club, so of course if I’m here, I have some interest. But I have other things, other projects, which are also good.”
“I told him: ‘Whatever decision he makes will be a good decision because we are talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world’.”