Not for the first time, Kylian Mbappe has been linked with a transfer to Liverpool.
On the face of it, this is not a link that makes a great deal of sense from the Reds' perspective. While not short of money, their transfer kitty is not limitless and Jurgen Klopp must prioritise other areas of his squad ahead of strengthening his attack.
Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo ensure there are no shortage of options and variety to play in Liverpool ’s front three. Furthermore, the Reds have signed attack-minded midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig and Brighton’s Alexis MacAllister.
However, Sport Witness cites reports from Spain that Liverpool have made a £170million move for French superstar Mbappe. The veracity of this may be doubtful, but there is clearly a strong mutual respect between the club and the Paris Saint-Germain frontman.
Mbappe's PSG exit stance
Mbappe will not sign the one-year contract extension in his PSG contract meaning that his deal will expire in 12 months. Mirror Football understands that the French club’s priority is to ensure he does not leave without a transfer fee, meaning they are prepared to cash in on the superstar this summer.
The French superstar has confirmed that he intends to remain at the Ligue 1 champions beyond this summer but it is understood that PSG will push for his exit as they are aware that the alternative is missing out on a landmark transfer fee entirely.
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On Wednesday, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi set an ultimatum of two weeks for Mbappe to either decide to leave the club this summer or sign a new contract. However, the striker is well within his contractual rights to do neither and wait it out until next summer. Real Madrid's interest in signing Mbappe is long-standing and well-documented.
What Mbappe and Klopp have said
Mbappe and Klopp have a history of publicly complimenting each other – which has, predictably, played into suggestions that the two may work alongside each other one day.
Speaking in 2020, the Frenchman claimed: 2020: "This season, Liverpool have been a machine in the Premier League. They have made winning look easy but the truth is that it is never easy. Performances like they have been having don't just happen.
Mbappe didn't stop there and had some compliments for Klopp as well, adding: "To be as ruthless as they have been would come from lots of hard work in training and from having a very good manager."
Speaking before Liverpool faced PSG back in 2018, Klopp told RMC Sport: "I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and a nice lad as well, so he's a really good kid. What a player, what a player.
"Everyone knows him since he was 16, 17 when he impressed in Monaco's youth teams, and I saw videos of him when he was 17 and he destroyed defensive lines as he is doing now.
"He's at an unbelievable level of consistency at that age. He's an outstanding player, that's clear, but he can deliver, deliver and deliver, which shows he's really good educated boy and he knows what he is doing.”
Mbappe's meeting with FSG on private jet
Liverpool owner John W Henry previously held transfer talks with Mbappe on a private jet.
Back in 2017 and before the striker joined PSG from Monaco, the striker held a two-hour meeting with Reds owner Henry on his private jet.
It was suggested that Henry attempted to win over Mbappe and his family by flying his private jet to Monaco and inviting them on board. They are said to have flown over the bay of Nice and its surroundings for two hours as they discussed his future before the Reds eventually missed out.
