Kylian Mbappe confirms Liverpool transfer desire: 'It's going to be insane'

22 Sept 2026 16:32 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

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Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that his mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, was desperate for him to join Liverpool when they attempted to sign him.

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The France international is best known for his spells at PSG and now Real Madrid, but things could have panned out very differently when he was just making a name for himself a decade ago.

Having broken through at Monaco and become one of the world's best teenage prospects in 2017, Mbappe emerged as a prime target for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp. The new Germany boss confirmed as much this summer when he was doing punditry at the World Cup.

Current ETV

Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€90.5M - €150.9M

Klopp revealed that Liverpool went all out to sign Mbappe, even hiring a private jet and just flying in a circle so that they wouldn't be seen holding talks. The youngster's mother wanted him to make the move to Merseyside, but he had other ideas.

Mbappe turned down the Premier League giants and opted to return to his hometown of Paris, initially joining PSG on loan. His stint was made permanent for an eye-watering €180 million the following year. The rest is history.

Mbappe confirms Liverpool talks

Speaking to The Athletic, Mbappe has now shed light on just how much his mother desired him to join Liverpool when he was 18. "It was while I was playing in Monaco," he explained.

"I had to take a decision. 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."

🚨 𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗨 : Jürgen Klopp et Kylian Mbappé après le match ! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/9NBUXKWuQQ
— Loic faster (@loicfaster) July 9, 2026

However, he insists that he was never in two minds about joining PSG. "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."

Mbappe also recalled the pretty bizarre plane episode: "I remember we were on the plane, and we were turning around and around in the air while he was explaining his project.

"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 hometown."