Mbappé Reveals Mother Wanted Him to Join Liverpool in 2017

Kylian Mbappé has revisited Liverpool’s unsuccessful attempt to sign him from Monaco in 2017, revealing that his mother strongly favoured a move to Anfield before he chose to continue his career with Paris Saint-Germain.

Why the missed move still stands out at Liverpool

Liverpool’s pursuit took place while Mbappé was emerging as one of Europe’s most coveted young forwards at Monaco. The club held detailed talks with the player and his family, with Jürgen Klopp central to the proposed sporting project.

Mbappé said Liverpool had come close to securing his agreement. His mother visited the city, met people connected with the club and attended matches at Anfield to judge the atmosphere for herself. She was particularly taken by the stadium and regarded Liverpool as an ideal next step for her son.

“She wanted me to go there,” Mbappé said of his mother’s view. “She went to Anfield and fell in love with it.”

He recalled that she repeatedly encouraged him to imagine playing in front of the Liverpool crowd, while also praising Klopp and describing the club as a welcoming, family-focused institution with major standing in the game.

Klopp, now Germany manager, had previously outlined the scale of Liverpool’s efforts. A club group travelled from Blackpool to Nice for discussions with Mbappé and his family aboard a private aircraft with five rooms. The meeting had to remain out of public view, with the plane staying airborne while conversations continued over a meal.

“Liverpool did everything they could,” Klopp said of the approach. “We stayed in the air, spoke with the family and ate well. Then he chose Paris.”

Mbappé said he respected Klopp and enjoyed a strong initial relationship with the Liverpool manager, but made clear that a move to PSG held a different personal significance. Born and raised in Paris, he felt he needed to establish himself in his home city before considering a departure from France.

He told Klopp that no choice among the clubs involved would have been a poor one, given their status, but PSG offered the chance to become a leading player in Paris. Mbappé later said that, at the time, PSG and Real Madrid were the two destinations he considered most seriously.

The forward joined PSG initially on loan before the €180 million clause made the transfer permanent. He eventually left Paris for Real Madrid in 2024 after becoming one of the defining players of the PSG era.

On the international stage, Mbappé won the World Cup as a teenager in 2018 and later moved beyond Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi as the competition’s all-time leading scorer. France reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Spain.