Mbappe Reveals Liverpool Transfer Approach Before Real Madrid Move
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool in 2017, while an 18 year old at Monaco. He detailed the Kylian Mbappe Liverpool transfer approach in an interview with The Athletic, explaining how it almost took him to Anfield before he chose Paris Saint-Germain instead. Mbappe explained that Liverpool made a serious push for him, driven in large part by his mother’s admiration for Jurgen Klopp.
Mbappe said his mother, Fayza Lamari, travelled to Liverpool alone during the early stages of talks and watched matches at Anfield to picture her son playing there one day. Despite her enthusiasm for the move, he ultimately turned Liverpool down and stayed in France.
Primary Source Attribution and Official Details From Klopp and Mbappe
Mbappe was candid about his mother’s role in the process. “I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” he said, recalling her words: “Liverpool – you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.”
He explained that she visited Merseyside herself before any deal was close. “She went to the city, the stadium, she met the people,” Mbappe said. “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.”
Klopp backed up the story while working as a pundit for Magenta TV during the 2026 World Cup. He revealed that “the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something” as Liverpool tried to win the forward round. “We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” he said. “It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris.”
Mbappe still turned the club down, joining PSG on loan before a permanent move worth 180 million euros. “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 said, calling it “a funny story” but insisting “there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my hometown.”
Squad Impact and Tactical Context in Real Madrid Setup
Nine years on, the Kylian Mbappe Liverpool transfer that never happened reads as a footnote rather than a regret. Mbappe spent seven years in Paris, becoming PSG’s record goalscorer, before completing his move to the Santiago Bernabéu in 2024. He has since established himself as Real Madrid’s central attacking focal point, the kind of role his mother once pictured him filling at Anfield.
There’s no suggestion the story affects Real Madrid’s current business, but it lands at a time when Liverpool’s interest in the club’s squad keeps surfacing elsewhere. Our report on Endrick staying at Bernabéu amid Liverpool interest covered similar speculation involving a teammate, while Trent Alexander-Arnold on Liverpool fan reaction looked at how a different switch was received back on Merseyside. Even Real Madrid’s goalkeeping search hit a Liverpool snag earlier this year, showing how often the two clubs cross paths in the market.
For Real Madrid supporters, the episode is a reminder of how differently Mbappe’s career might have looked, and how firmly he is now embedded at the Bernabéu instead.
What Happens Next and Real Madrid Schedule Timeline
Mbappe’s comments were first reported by the BBC Sport report, with no indication from either club that the story carries any bearing on current transfer plans. Real Madrid have made no comment beyond Mbappe’s own words, and Liverpool have not responded publicly to Klopp’s remarks from Magenta TV.
For now, the story stands as background colour rather than live transfer news, with Mbappe fully focused on his role for Real Madrid this season. Both clubs continue preparing for their upcoming domestic and European fixtures, with no fresh contact between the parties reported since Mbappe’s move to Paris in 2017.
