Kylian Mbappé has confirmed that he held substantive transfer discussions with Liverpool in 2017, driven by the specific desire of his mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, to see him at Anfield. The forward, now at Real Madrid, revealed that the Premier League club was a serious consideration during the summer he departed Monaco, a period that ultimately culminated in his record-breaking move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking to The Athletic, Mbappé detailed how his mother, Fayza Lamari, was captivated by the prospect of him representing the Merseyside club. "My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp, and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool," Mbappé explained. "She wanted me to go there." The influence of his mother was profound; she reportedly visited the city and the stadium to evaluate the environment, convinced that it offered the ideal project for her son. "She went to the city, the stadium, she met the people," Mbappé added. "She was like, 'It’s a wonderful club, everybody’s so kind, it’s a family club, a big club.'"
The scale of Liverpool’s commitment to the pursuit was significant. Former manager Jürgen Klopp, appearing as a pundit for Magenta TV, recounted the logistical lengths the club went to in order to secure the then-18-year-old. Klopp revealed that Liverpool arranged a private jet from Nice, flying in circles to avoid detection while talks with the Mbappé family took place on board. "We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food," Klopp stated. He described the endeavour as the "most expensive non-transfer" in the club's history, highlighting the intensity of their recruitment efforts.
Tactically, an arrival in 2017 would have fundamentally altered the trajectory of Liverpool’s attack. At that time, Klopp was assembling the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mané. Introducing a player of Mbappé’s profile—fresh from a breakout season at Monaco where he scored 26 goals in 44 appearances—would have presented a challenge for existing squad cohesion but offered a transformative long-term focal point. Commercially, the signing would have been equally seismic, aligning the world’s most promising teenage talent with one of the most commercially robust clubs in England.
Despite the high-level courtship, Mbappé remained resolute about his domestic priorities. "I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, in Paris," he told The Athletic. "I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone." This sense of connection to his roots ultimately outweighed the allure of Anfield. Mbappé initially joined Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan in August 2017, a structure designed to navigate Financial Fair Play regulations. That arrangement included an option for a permanent transfer, which was exercised the following year for a fee of €180 million, cementing his status as one of the most expensive players in the sport's history.
This historical insight into the 2017 transfer window underscores the complexities of high-stakes recruitment. It serves as a reminder that even when clubs align project, manager, and logistics—as Klopp’s Liverpool did with the private jet and familial charm offensive—hometown loyalties and personal development pathways can prove decisive. The failed pursuit of Mbappé remains a defining 'what-if' moment for the club, highlighting the thin margins that separate successful talent acquisition from lost opportunities in the modern game.
