Mbappé reveals he turned down chance to join Klopp at Liverpool
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Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappé has confirmed that he held talks over a potential move to Liverpool on a private jet when he was still playing for AS Monaco.
At the time, Klopp was Liverpool manager and wanted to bring the French star to England.
“Yes, that’s true. It was quite something, but also great. And honestly: I would have really liked to have joined him back then,” Mbappé confirmed in an interview with Sport Bild.
Mbappé ultimately opted for a move to Paris Saint-Germain instead.
“I wasn’t ready to leave my home country yet. I wanted to go to my hometown, Paris. I had only played for Monaco for one year and, at that time, I needed my surroundings to feel comfortable. That’s why I went to PSG,” he explained.
“There were many clubs, including Dortmund. But it’s difficult for me to talk about that. Because when you turn down a club, it often sounds as though something wasn’t right. That wasn’t the case at all. They were all great clubs, but ultimately you can only choose one. And as I said: at the time, I preferred to stay in my home country,” he said.
Asked if he has maintained contact with Klopp since their talks, the 27-year-old replied:
“I saw him at the World Cup, which made me very happy.
“But I don’t want to bother him; he has enough to do already (laughs),” added the Frenchman, who is clearly a big admirer of Klopp.
“Klopp is one of the best coaches of the last 20 years. Mourinho, Klopp – these are coaches every professional would want to play under. It’s simply great to see him back on the touchline. I’m really looking forward to the next match against him,” he said.
