Kylian Mbappe has revealed why he turned down Liverpool in 2016 despite the Premier League club making a strong attempt to sign him from Monaco.
The France and Real Madrid striker said he was “close” to joining Liverpool at 18, but chose to remain in France and eventually joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe said his mother was particularly keen on a move to Liverpool after visiting Anfield and meeting people at the club.
“I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” Mbappe told The Athletic.
“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.”
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Mbappe said his mother was a big fan of former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and wanted her son to play at Anfield.
“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’,” he said.
“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.”
Mbappe said his mother travelled to Liverpool as part of the early stages of negotiations before he ultimately decided against the move.
Klopp previously revealed how far Liverpool went in their effort to sign the teenager.
Speaking as a pundit during the 2026 World Cup, the former Liverpool manager said the club arranged a private jet to take Mbappe and his family from France.
“We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said.
He added that Liverpool had tried to keep the meeting private, but the negotiations eventually proved unsuccessful.
“We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris,” Klopp said.
Mbappe eventually joined PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017, with the deal including an option to make the transfer permanent for €180 million.
He spent seven years at the Paris club, becoming its record goalscorer before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024.
Mbappe said his decision to remain in Paris was driven by his desire to succeed in his hometown.
“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,” he said.
