Kylian Mbappe has lifted the lid on just how near Liverpool came to landing one of the most sought-after talents in European football, admitting he was genuinely close to moving to Anfield in 2016 — only to override his own mother's wishes and stay in France.

The France and Real Madrid forward, speaking to The Athletic, says that when he was 18 and still turning heads at Monaco in Ligue 1, Liverpool made a serious push to bring him to Merseyside. The noises out of the Mbappe camp at the time suggested Paris Saint-Germain were always the likely destination, but the full story is considerably more dramatic than that.

Mum was sold on Anfield

Mbappe describes his mother as a "big fan" of then-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and she was the one sent to take matters forward in the early stages of negotiations. She visited the city, toured the stadium, and by her son's own account was completely won over.

"She went to Anfield and fell in love with it," Mbappe says. "She watched a few games alone, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me in this stadium."

Her conclusion was unambiguous. "She was like, 'it's a wonderful club, everybody's so kind, it's a family club, a big club'," he recalls. "The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there."

Klopp laid on a private jet

Jurgen Klopp, speaking as a pundit on Magenta TV during the 2026 World Cup coverage, has now added his own account of the courtship — and it is quite the tale. A flight departed from Blackpool bound for Nice, where the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet for talks conducted quite literally in the air, away from prying eyes.

"We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food," Klopp said, noting that Liverpool had been keen to keep the meeting under wraps. "We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris."

Paris always pulled hardest

Despite the effort Liverpool put in — and despite his mother's enthusiasm — Mbappe made a different call. Born and raised in the French capital, the pull of representing his hometown club proved stronger than any private jet or Klopp charm offensive.

"I didn't listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris," he says. "I didn't want to leave my country before I was someone."

He subsequently joined PSG on loan in a deal that included a permanent option, with the full transfer eventually valued at 180 million euros. He spent seven years in Paris, broke the club's all-time scoring record, and then completed his long-anticipated move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.

What might have been for Liverpool

The revelation lands as a striking footnote to one of the great transfer near-misses in Premier League history. Liverpool's recruitment in the years that followed that failed pursuit was ultimately exceptional — the club won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020 — but the idea of Mbappe developing under Klopp at Anfield is the kind of sliding-doors scenario that will keep supporters talking for years.

At 27, Mbappe is now France's all-time leading scorer and one of the most decorated forwards in world football. Whether Anfield would have accelerated or altered that trajectory remains one of football's more compelling what-ifs.

Frequently asked

Why did Mbappe not join Liverpool in 2016?
Mbappe chose to sign for Paris Saint-Germain instead because he wanted to play in his hometown of Paris and prove himself in France before moving abroad. Despite his mother's enthusiasm for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, he felt the pull of PSG was stronger.
How much did Mbappe's move to PSG cost?
Mbappe initially joined PSG on loan from Monaco, with a permanent option included. That permanent deal was valued at 180 million euros (approximately £165.7 million at the time).
When did Mbappe join Real Madrid?
Mbappe completed his move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, ending a seven-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain during which he became the club's all-time record scorer.