GettyIf we’ve learned anything from the last couple of years, it’s that Jurgen Klopp is not shy of throwing money around in the transfer market.
He’s transformed Liverpool from title also-rans to prime candidates for the Premier League, as well as Champions League finalists, by spending huge amounts on the likes of Alisson Becker, Virgil Van Dijk and Naby Keita.
However, the Reds could have had one of the world’s brightest talents on their books, if their German boss had his way last summer. According to French publication L’Equipe, Klopp made serious moves for Kylian Mbappe before he signed for PSG from AS Monaco.
GettyAfter Mbappe had spent six months burning through everything in Ligue 1, tormenting Manchester City in the Champions League and securing the first league title of his career in the process, every major club in Europe was looking to cherry pick Monaco’s latest boy wonder.
Klopp was right in the mix, and spent “several hours” attempting to convince the Frenchman to swap Paris for Liverpool and join his would-be title challengers.
Mbappe was reportedly impressed with Klopp’s “eloquent and enthusiastic” approach to wooing him, but stopped short of signing on the dotted line, despite the offer to earn as much as Liverpool’s highest-paid player at the time, Philippe Coutinho.
Instead, Mbappe left Monaco for the French capital, as PSG announced the loan signing of the teenage sensation, with an obligatory £166m fee to be paid the following summer (2018).
WikipediaSo Klopp missed out on his man, although Liverpool fans may see it as a blessing in disguise, as they turned their attentions to an Egyptian bloke named Mohamed Salah. Wonder what happened to him…
And if you’re one of those really optimistic Liverpool fans (you know the ones who’ve claimed it’s “their year” for the past eight seasons), you may take hope in the fact that Fabinho, Mbappe’s former team mate at Monaco, said this summer that he’s “trying to convince” the 19-year-old to join him at Anfield. Good luck with that!
Tonight, Mbappe comes up against Liverpool for the first time and if football works how we think it does, Mbappe’s almost certain to bag a goal or two…
