Jurgen Klopp has told the story of Liverpool's most expensive failed transfer pursuit — a clandestine private-jet meeting with Kylian Mbappe and his family that ended with the forward heading to Paris rather than Merseyside.

Speaking pitchside at the World Cup while working as a pundit for Magenta TV, the former Reds boss described how the club went to extraordinary lengths to attract the then-Monaco teenager. The operation involved a flight originating from Blackpool to Nice, where Mbappe's entire family boarded a specially arranged private jet that Klopp recalled had something like five rooms on board.

"We really went all out," Klopp said. "Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food." The circular flight was a deliberate attempt to keep the talks out of the public eye — the last thing Liverpool wanted was for rival clubs or the press to clock a meeting of that magnitude.

It did not work. Klopp's punchline told the story plainly enough: "We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris."

The deal that never was

Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain initially on loan from Monaco before that move was made permanent for a fee of 180 million euros — around £153 million at the time. He spent seven years at the Parc des Princes, becoming the club's record scorer, before completing a long-anticipated switch to Real Madrid in 2024.

Klopp acknowledged the whole exercise represented the "most expensive non-transfer" the club had committed to, a line that captures both the ambition of Liverpool's approach and the sting of the outcome. Mbappe, now 27, is represented by his mother, who runs a consulting company on behalf of professional footballers — meaning family buy-in was always going to be central to any negotiation.

Klopp's Liverpool legacy

Despite missing out on Mbappe, Klopp's nine years on Merseyside were hardly short of marquee moments. He delivered a Champions League title and the club's first top-flight league championship in thirty years before stepping down in 2024. The noises out of Germany suggest his next role will be as head coach of the national side, a position widely expected to be confirmed in due course.

The anecdote, told with the warmth and self-deprecating humour that made Klopp a favourite with supporters well beyond Liverpool's own fanbase, is a reminder of how fine the margins can be in football recruitment. A circular flight over the Mediterranean, a table full of food, and still the answer was no.

What it means now

For Liverpool fans, the story arrives as a bittersweet piece of club history — proof that the ambition was always there under Klopp, even when the outcome went against them. Mbappe has since become one of the game's defining players of his generation, and the question of what might have been had he landed at Anfield rather than the Parc des Princes is the kind that supporters will be chewing over for years.

Whether Liverpool's current hierarchy will pursue players of comparable profile in future windows remains to be seen. But Klopp's tale of a secret flight going nowhere fast has already earned its place in Premier League transfer folklore.

Frequently asked

Why did Mbappe choose PSG over Liverpool?
Klopp has not revealed the full reasons, but despite Liverpool arranging a private meeting with Mbappe and his family — including a discreet flight over the south of France — the forward opted to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan from Monaco in 2017, with that move later made permanent.
How much did Mbappe's move to PSG cost?
Mbappe's permanent transfer to PSG from Monaco was completed for around 180 million euros, which worked out at approximately £153 million at the time — making it one of the biggest fees in football history.
What is Jurgen Klopp doing now after leaving Liverpool?
Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season after nine years in charge. He is currently working as a television pundit at the World Cup for Magenta TV and is widely expected to be appointed as the next head coach of the German national team.