Kylian Mbappé's Near Move to Liverpool: A What-If Story

Kylian Mbappé standing in front of the Kop. It sounds like fantasy football now, but it almost happened.

The France captain, who exploded onto the scene at AS Monaco before conquering Paris with Paris Saint-Germain and then finally sealing his move to Real Madrid two years ago, has revealed just how close he came to choosing Liverpool instead of PSG.

And it all started at home.

In an interview with The Athletic, Mbappé admitted that family played a decisive role in that moment of his career – or almost did.

"My mum's favourite destination was Liverpool; she wanted me to go there," he said. "There was a time, when I was at Monaco, when I had to make a decision and I was close to joining Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp, and he's an amazing manager. I met him and I have a wonderful relationship with him. I have great respect for him."

Klopp, already building his legend at Anfield, made his pitch. The talks were long, serious, and clearly left a mark on Mbappé. The project, the atmosphere, the manager – Liverpool had plenty in their favour.

The pull of home proved stronger.

"I didn't listen to (my mum). I wanted to go to my city, Paris. I wanted to play in my own country. I didn't want to leave my country," Mbappé admitted.

So the teenager who had Europe at his feet chose PSG. The deal, worth €180 million, turned him into one of the most expensive players in football history and placed the weight of a club’s ambitions squarely on his shoulders.

He carried it.

Across seven seasons in the capital, Mbappé rewrote PSG’s record books. He became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, hitting 256 goals in 308 appearances and adding 110 assists, a staggering output that powered a haul of domestic trophies for Les Rouge et Bleu and cemented his status as the face of French football.

Liverpool were left with a what-if. PSG got their superstar. Real Madrid now have the finished article.

One decision, one city, and a career that might have echoed to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” instead of the Parc des Princes roar.