Report: Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp Came Close with Kylian Mbappe Pitch in 2017
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reportedly spent "several hours" trying to convince Kylian Mbappe to join the club in 2017 and made an impression on the player, but Paris Saint-Germain's overwhelming financial strength priced the Reds out of the market.
According to L'Equipe (h/t sportswriter Matt Spiro), Mbappe was "charmed" by Klopp, and the Reds made a large financial promise to the then-AS Monaco man:
Mbappe ended up moving to the French capital, however, with his initial loan deal becoming a permanent transfer this summer. PSG will be Liverpool's next opponent in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old Mbappe has quickly become one of the sport's biggest attacking stars. He played a crucial role for France during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is part of a sensational trio of forwards in Paris alongside Neymar and Edinson Cavani.
They match up well with Liverpool's equivalent:
The Reds missed out on Mbappe but landed Mohamed Salah instead, and he had a spectacular 2017-18 campaign. The former Chelsea and AS Roma man exceeded all expectations and broke the Premier League's scoring record.
Chelsea also missed out on the speedster, but for an entirely different reason:
With the world title already under his belt and the chance to play in his hometown, there's little doubt Mbappe made the right decision. Liverpool will rue the chance they failed to close the deal, although it wasn't a major surprise, with Les Parisiens and Real Madrid also interested.
The French and European champions have nearly unlimited funds and enormous appeal for a variety of reasons, not the least the opportunity to play in France and become a national hero.
