Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he came close to joining Liverpool in 2016, but ultimately chose to remain in France after deciding that Paris Saint-Germain offered him the chance to become a star in his hometown.
The France and Real Madrid forward was 18 and playing for Monaco in Ligue 1 when Liverpool made an effort to sign him.
According to Mbappe, his mother was particularly keen on a move to Merseyside and became a major admirer of the club and former manager Jurgen Klopp.
“I was close to joining Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” Mbappe told The Athletic.
However, Mbappe said he decided against the move because he wanted to continue his development in Paris and did not feel ready to leave France.
“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,” he said.
His mother, however, was enthusiastic about the possibility of seeing her son play at Anfield.
“Liverpool – you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you,” Mbappe recalled her telling him.
She eventually travelled to Liverpool as part of the early stages of negotiations and visited the club’s stadium and met people associated with the club.
“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’,” Mbappe said.
His mother was particularly impressed by Anfield after attending matches and experiencing the atmosphere.
“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,” he added.
Former Liverpool manager Klopp has also previously recalled the club’s efforts to convince the young forward to move to England.
Speaking on Magenta TV during the 2026 World Cup, Klopp said Liverpool had arranged a private jet to take Mbappe and his family from France for discussions about a possible transfer.
“We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said.
The former Liverpool boss said the meeting was deliberately kept discreet, but the club ultimately failed to persuade Mbappe to join.
“We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris,” Klopp recalled.
For Mbappe, the decision eventually came down to his desire to establish himself in the city where he was born and raised.
“It’s a funny story,” he said. “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 hometown.”
Mbappe subsequently joined PSG on loan from Monaco, with an option that made the move permanent for €180 million (£165.7m).
He spent seven years at the Paris club, becoming its all-time leading scorer before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024.
The revelation offers a glimpse into how close Liverpool came to signing Mbappe before he chose to continue his career in France.
