Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has opened up about the club’s intense efforts to recruit Kylian Mbappe back in 2017. Before the French star moved to Paris St-Germain, Liverpool organized a private flight and dinner for Mbappe and his family, hoping to convince him to join the Reds.
Klopp described the failed recruitment as the club’s costliest non-transfer. While working as a pundit for Magenta TV, the German coach explained that they flew from Blackpool to Nice to meet the forward and his family. The party held discussions aboard a luxury private jet to ensure privacy, but the attempt ultimately did not result in a contract.
Mbappe eventually joined PSG on a deal that eventually reached 180 million euros, where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer before transitioning to Real Madrid in 2024. Klopp, who spent nine successful years at Anfield, noted that despite the high-profile efforts, the young star chose the path to Paris instead.
