The Sports Guru
Kylian Mbappe has finally explained how close Liverpool came to signing him a decade ago, and why he ignored his own mother's preference to do it. This piece looks at what Liverpool actually offered, why it wasn't enough, and what the eventual numbers say about the path he chose instead.
Jurgen Klopp put a private jet on a flight from Blackpool to Nice, filled it with good food, and did his best to make an 18-year-old feel like the most wanted man in football. It still wasn't enough. Kylian Mbappe has confirmed to The Athletic that he came close to joining Liverpool in 2016, before overruling his own mother's preference and signing for Paris Saint-Germain instead.
The Circling Jet
Klopp, speaking as a pundit on Magenta TV at the 2026 World Cup, described the lengths Liverpool went to when trying to prise Mbappe away from Monaco. The Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms after flying from Blackpool to Nice, and the club deliberately kept the meeting out of view. "We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food," Klopp said. "We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris."
That last line does most of the work. Liverpool didn't lose this one on effort. A private jet with five rooms is not a half-hearted pitch, and keeping the talks hidden suggests Liverpool believed there was something real to protect. Mbappe himself now agrees it was "a funny story" rather than a false one.
Anfield's Biggest Fan Wasn't The Player
The person Liverpool actually won over was Mbappe's mother. Described by her son as a "big fan" of Klopp, she travelled to Merseyside for what Mbappe called the "first step" of the negotiation, meeting people at the club and watching games alone at Anfield "to feel the atmosphere". She came back convinced. "She went to Anfield and fell in love with it," Mbappe said, adding that her verdict on the club was that it felt like a family.
None of that translated into a transfer. A parent falling for a stadium's atmosphere is not the same as a teenage forward choosing it as his career launchpad, and that gap is exactly where this deal collapsed.
Why Paris Beat Merseyside
Mbappe's own explanation is direct rather than sentimental. "I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there," he said. But identity, not admiration, decided it. "I didn't listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris." Given the chance to become a star in the city where he was born and raised, he chose that over the club his mother had fallen in love with, explaining there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my hometown.
It's a rare case of a transfer decision being driven almost entirely by geography and identity rather than trophies, wages or facilities - Liverpool could offer Klopp, Anfield and a convinced parent, but not a hometown.
- W@ Bournemouth1-0
- Dvs Fulham0-0
- W@ Ipswich2-0
- Dvs Nottm Forest2-2
- D@ Newcastle2-2
- Dvs Brentford1-1
- L@ Aston Villa2-4
- Dvs Chelsea1-1
- L@ Man United2-3
- Wvs C Palace3-1
- Lvs Plymouth2-4
- Dvs Bromley2-2
- L@ Reading1-3
- L@ Barnsley1-2
- Wvs Peterborough4-0
- W@ Stockport2-1
- Dvs Wycombe1-1
The Numbers Behind The Decision
Mbappe joined PSG on loan from Monaco, with an option that made the move permanent for 180m euros (£165.7m). He spent seven years in Paris, becoming the club's record scorer, before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024. Now 27, he is France's all-time leading goalscorer and remains at Real Madrid.
Measured against that trajectory, Liverpool's near-miss looks less like a mistake and more like proof that some sales pitches simply can't compete with a player's sense of where he belongs. Klopp built the perfect case for Anfield. He just wasn't pitching to the right audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Mbappe has revealed he was "close" to joining Liverpool in 2016 while at Monaco, but chose Paris Saint-Germain instead.
Klopp said Liverpool arranged a private jet with five rooms for the Mbappe family, flying from Blackpool to Nice, and kept the meeting away from public view.
Mbappe said he wanted to play in his home city of Paris and show he could be a star there before leaving France, even though his mother preferred Liverpool.
Mbappe joined PSG on loan with an option that made the transfer permanent for 180m euros (£165.7m).
Mbappe left PSG for Real Madrid in 2024 and remains at the club, having also become France's all-time leading goalscorer.
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.