Why Liverpool REJECTED Mbappe – and why Arsenal would do the same

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 14 Feb 2024 22:04 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool have turned down the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe as a free agent from PSG in the summer.

Mbappe’s contract with PSG expires in June, and with no agreement on the horizon with the Parc des Princes club, the 25-year-old World Cup winner’s future is in the air.

Real Madrid had reportedly been close to striking an agreement with the former Monaco forward, yet the latest reports indicate that the player’s mother, Fayza Lamari, is acting as a roadblock in the deal as she is unimpressed with the terms being offered by Los Blancos.

Indeed, The Independent reports that Mbappe’s camp even reached out to Liverpool to explore the possibility of a move to Anfield next summer, but the Reds rejected the possibility of signing him.

And according to the same source, Arsenal would also reject the possibility of landing Mbappe.

The thinking from both clubs is the same: signing such a player would shatter their wage structure and threaten to cause ruptures in the respective squads.

“Mbappe’s wider circle reached out to Liverpool last year, but there was no offer from the Anfield hierarchy. They just didn’t want him that badly to break their entire financial strategy,” The Independent states.

“It’s similar with Arsenal, who Mbappe would willingly join.”

How much does Kylian Mbappe earn?

Mbappe is PSG’s highest earner and is estimated to earn a salary in the region of €72 million per year before bonuses.

It is around this figure that he is demanding to join Real Madrid – and that’s before a signing-on fee in the region of €125m is given to him.

This is by far the highest figure of any player in European football currently and means that Mbappe, should he stick to his demands, is only affordable for a select few clubs.