According to reports from France, Kylian Mbappe had agreed to join Liverpool two years ago before ultimately choosing to extend his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchman eventually departed PSG this summer in a high-profile free transfer to Real Madrid.
However, French newspaper L’Equipe suggests that Mbappe might have ended up at Liverpool if he had followed through on his request to leave the club in 2022. For many years, it was rumoured that the World Cup winner was on his way to Anfield, and recent reports now suggest that a deal was even closer than first thought.
The outlet reported this week that Mbappe’s representatives requested PSG executives to facilitate his departure before the transfer window closed. So much so that the striker reportedly declined to participate in the 5-0 season-opening victory against Clermont for the 2022-2023 campaign, citing injury as the official reason for his absence. PSG then reportedly received two offers, from Real Madrid and Liverpool, both of which had long been interested in the Parisian talent.
How Close Liverpool Were to Signing Mbappe
The 25-year-old has since admitted to holding talks with the club
Liverpool’s offer to land Mbappe was reportedly valued at £170 million, which would have made him the second-most expensive signing in football history. Antero Henrique, PSG’s former Sporting Director before Luis Campos took over, asked the Premier League outfit to double the amount to expedite negotiations.
Meanwhile, Mbappe had reportedly reached a personal agreement with Liverpool for a short-term deal, which would have enabled him to join Real Madrid later in his career. But ultimately, Mbappe signed a long-term contract with Los Blancos after his PSG contract ended in 2024 instead.
In the same report, it was also suggested that PSG had spoken about a master plan to keep Mbappe at the club. They were reported to have sold the Frenchman an ever-ambitious transfer window with the expected arrivals of Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva and then Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, with the club instead bringing in Vitinha, Renato Sanches, Fabian Ruiz and Hugo Ekitike on loan. He has admitted in the past he has spoken with Liverpool, saying:
“We talked a little bit, but not too much. I talked to Liverpool because it’s my mum’s favourite club. My mum loves Liverpool. I don’t know why, you will have to ask her.
“It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club.”
Mbappe’s Real Madrid Deal
This summer brought an end to a long-drawn-out transfer saga
Despite a previous lingering hope among the Anfield faithful that Mbappe might somehow end up on Merseyside to continue Jurgen Klopp’s era of success, the news of his move to Real Madrid this summer came as little surprise. For the world’s top players, Barcelona and Real Madrid are often seen as the ultimate promised lands.
After securing an unprecedented 15th Champions League title last season, the World Cup winner was always likely to favour the allure of the Iberian Peninsula’s sunshine and silverware over the Premier League. Mbappe now joins a Los Blancos squad brimming with some of the planet’s finest talents, including Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, and Vinícius Junior.
Even still, the curious clause in his supposed contract with Liverpool would have seen him end up in the Spanish capital eventually anyway. But now that Mbappe finds himself ahead of schedule, earning £510,000-per-week merely for the privilege of playing in a Carlo Ancelotti side, suggests that the only hope the Reds have of seeing him at Anfield is when Arne Slot’s side welcome the Spanish giants in the Champions League in November.