Kylian Mbappe explains decision to reject Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain despite Jurgen Klopp talks on private jet - 'I was close'
Published 22/09/2026 at 15:48 GMT+1
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Kylian Mbappe has lifted the lid on how close he came to signing for Premier League giants Liverpool, revealing that he held talks on a private jet with Jurgen Klopp. Mbappe says his mum wanted him to move to Anfield.
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Real Madrid and France forward Mbappe is one of the top contenders to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or along with Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane, and Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal.
Mbappe joined Madrid in 2024, but prior to that had made his first big move by going from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
As he was deliberating over leaving Monaco, there was interest in Mbappe from Liverpool.
Klopp, who was manager at the time, said over the summer that "Liverpool really pulled out all the stops" to sign Mbappe, who has now lifted the lid on how close he came to the move.
"It was while I was playing in Monaco, I had to take a decision," he told The Athletic.
"And yes, I was close to Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.
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"I didn't listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone.
"But yes, my mum was always saying, 'Liverpool - you're going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.' I was like, 'OK!'
"She went there [for] the first step of the negotiations. She went to the city, the stadium, she met the people. She was like, 'It's a wonderful club, everybody's so kind, it's a family club, a big club.'
"She went to Anfield and fell in love with it. She watched a few games alone, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me in this stadium.
"All the time we were talking. 'What do you think, Mum?' She'd say, 'For me, you have to go to Liverpool.
"I said, 'OK, OK, OK!' because Jurgen Klopp was an amazing manager. I met him and had a wonderful relationship with him. I had big respect for him."
In a bid to keep the meeting between Klopp and Mbappe under wraps, the talks took place on a private jet that picked up Mbappe in Nice and then circled in the air.
Klopp called the move the "most expensive non-transfer" the club were involved in.
"I remember we were on the plane and we were turning around and around in the air while he was explaining his project," added Mbappe.
"I said, 'You don’t need to convince me. You're Jurgen Klopp, it’s Liverpool, a great club, so of course if I'm here, I have some interest. But I have other things, other projects, that are also good.'
"I said to him, 'Whatever decision I take is going to be a good decision because we are talking about some of the biggest clubs in the world.'
"It's a funny story. But in the end, I took the decision to go to PSG because for me, born and raised in Paris, there was no better feeling than to show I could be a star in my home town."
Mbappe joined PSG in a deal reportedly worth £166 million, making him the second-most expensive player in history behind Neymar, who cost PSG £200m from Barcelona.
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He spent seven seasons in Paris before his move to Madrid in 2024.
Last season he scored 42 goals in 44 games for Madrid, before winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup after scoring 10 times for France.
Now he has his eyes on winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time.
"I have no shame [in saying that]," he added. "I'm not scared to say what I think, even if sometimes people can say, 'What is this guy saying?'
"It’s not a shame to be honest. I have never said, 'I'm going to win it'. But I think I had a good year. Many people have said I had a good year and connected me with the trophy. So let’s see what can happen."
Mbappe's 10-goal haul at the 2026 World Cup saw him become the leading scorer in tournament history with 22, one ahead of Lionel Messi.
"I always wanted to break records and (make sure) that people remembered my name," he says.
"But I have to be honest, I didn't expect to be the top scorer of all time at the World Cup, at 27.
"The World Cup is the competition of the big stars, the biggest players in the history of the game. I used to dream about playing in this competition - not even winning it, just playing - so it's completely crazy to be that man.
"Especially when the guy before me was Lionel Messi... yeah, it's history."
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