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Yesterday, it was rumoured that Kylian Mbappe could be Liverpool’s next big transfer. The Paris Saint Germain player is already a global superstar at 20-years-old and nearly everyone’s pick to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the game’s best. Mbappe is contracted to PSG until 2022 but the French club are apparently willing to cash in on Mbappe for upwards of £200milllion. Liverpool are currently the only other club rumoured to have joined Real Madrid in the transfer race.
But on Friday, Jürgen Klopp went ahead and dispelled any daydreams Liverpool supporters might have for bringing Mbappe to Melwood.
“OK, from a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign Mbappe, what a player he is,” said Klopp.
“But it is about the money of course. No chance. Absolutely no chance, sorry for killing that story.
“I don’t think there is a club in the world that can buy Kylian Mbappe from PSG. And we are involved in that too. We cannot do it, it is as easy as that.
”We have nothing to say about it to be honest, but [buying] this calibre of player is difficult.”
Klopp also said Liverpool weren’t interested in Alisson before the Brazilian arrived two summers ago. But throughout his time in charge Klopp has been pretty clear about the club’s long term plan of building with intent and steering clear of splashing the cash on a single player.
As some have noted, any bid on Mbappe would certainly be predicated on Liverpool moving on one of Sadio Mané or Mohamed Salah for big money. But Klopp assures all that he’s happy with his players and their continued development is his plan.
“This team is in a wonderful age and they really still have space for improvement,” said Klopp.
So that’s that? Not hardly. If you’ve been following football for long enough you’ll know that incredible things are possible. Liverpool could very well be interested in Mbappe, up to a price point. In the meantime, please enjoy this rumour for the next decade.