NewzBy Adegboyega Adeleye Kylian Mbappe has revealed he was close to joining Liverpool in 2016, but turned down the move despite his mother’s strong desire for him to play at Anfield. The France and Real Madrid striker made the revelation in an interview with The Athletic, recalling Liverpool’s attempts to sign him while he was playing for Monaco. Mbappe said his mother was a big fan of former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and wanted him to move to Merseyside.
“I was close to [joining] Liverpool. The favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” Mbappe said.
“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone. “But yes, my mum was always saying, ‘Liverpool – you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you’.” The 27-year-old revealed that his mother even travelled to Liverpool during the early stages of negotiations, visiting the city and Anfield before meeting people at the club.
“She went to the city, the stadium, she met the people. She was like, ‘it’s a wonderful club, everybody’s so kind, it’s a family club, a big club’,” he said. “She went to Anfield and fell in love with it.
She watched a few games alone, to feel the atmosphere, because she wanted to imagine me in this stadium.” Mbappe also recalled how he met Klopp during Liverpool’s efforts to convince him to join the club. Former Liverpool manager Klopp had previously revealed that the club went to extraordinary lengths to negotiate with Mbappe and his family, including arranging a private jet for the meeting. According to Klopp, the Liverpool delegation flew from Blackpool to Nice in France, where Mbappe and his family boarded the private jet.
Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said. Mbappe recalled the unusual meeting with Klopp, saying they flew around while the former Liverpool boss explained his plans for him. “I said to him, ‘You don’t need to convince me.
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