Liverpool Football Club’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappé remains one of the most cited "what-if" scenarios in recent Premier League history. While the French forward eventually joined Real Madrid in 2024, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed that the club held substantive discussions with the player’s representatives during his time at AS Monaco in 2017. Klopp described the interest as a serious attempt to bring the talent to Anfield, though the financial requirements ultimately made a deal impossible for the club’s ownership.
The 2017 Negotiations Between Liverpool and Mbappé
Before Kylian Mbappé rose to global prominence at Paris Saint-Germain, he was the most sought-after teenager in European football while playing for AS Monaco. In 2017, Liverpool engaged in direct talks to secure his signature.
According to comments made by Jürgen Klopp to various media outlets, including reports from The Athletic, the club held meetings with Mbappé and his representatives. Klopp noted that the discussions were positive, but the financial scale of the potential transfer—coupled with the competition from other European giants—placed the move beyond Liverpool’s reach. The manager famously referred to the pursuit as "the most expensive non-transfer," highlighting the depth of the club’s interest at the time.
Financial Constraints and Strategic Policy
Liverpool’s transfer strategy under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has historically centered on sustainable investment and wage structure discipline. During the 2017 window, the club was operating under a different financial capacity compared to the present day.
The financial barriers to signing Mbappé were twofold:
- Transfer Fee: AS Monaco’s valuation of the player following his breakout 2016-17 season was significant, reflecting his status as a generational talent.
- Wage Structure: Meeting the salary demands of a player of Mbappé’s caliber would have required breaking the club’s internal wage ceiling, which FSG was unwilling to do at that stage of the team’s development.
Comparison: Liverpool’s Recruitment vs. Real Madrid
The path taken by Mbappé serves as a case study in market positioning. While Liverpool opted for a model of building a squad through targeted, high-value signings—such as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker—Real Madrid maintained a long-term plan to secure Mbappé on a free transfer.
| Feature | Liverpool (2017) | Real Madrid (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Player Status | Rising Prospect (Monaco) | Global Superstar (PSG) |
| Primary Hurdle | Immediate Transfer Fee | Contractual Timing/Wages |
| Outcome | No Deal | Free Transfer |
Legacy of the Pursuit
The interest in Mbappé underscored Liverpool’s ambition to compete for the world’s elite talent during the Klopp era. Although the move did not materialize, the club successfully pivoted to other targets, eventually winning the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. For Liverpool, the Mbappé pursuit remains a benchmark for the club’s aggressive scouting network, which identified the forward’s potential well before his move to the Parc des Princes.
As of 2024, Mbappé has finalized his move to Real Madrid, effectively closing the chapter on his potential association with the Premier League side. Liverpool continues to focus on a data-driven recruitment model that seeks to identify value in the market rather than competing in the bidding wars for the world’s most expensive players.