According to a report in Spain, Kylian Mbappe could be looking to leave Paris Saint-Germain in January, with a move to Liverpool maybe being his 'only option'.
It was confirmed by Mbappe that Liverpool were in talks with the Frenchman in the past, though the striker opted to stay with PSG - a dramatic u-turn after looking almost certain to join Real Madrid. But, according to Marca, the relationship between PSG and Mbappe is 'completely broken' after the club wouldn't allow him to join Los Blancos last summer.
The forward was allowed to leave Paris - just not to Real Madrid, according to the report. Now, the World Cup winner feels 'betrayed' by PSG, with the report claiming that a move to Liverpool is his 'only option' out of the club.
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So, if Liverpool were to make the audacious move for Mbappe in January, what could happen? Could he replicate Erling Haaland's impact at Man City and save Liverpool's season?
We 'signed' Kylian Mbappe for Liverpool in January
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Mbappe to sign for Liverpool from PSG in the 2023 January transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. We then simulated the remainder of the 2022/23 season to see what sort of impact the forward could have.
Mbappe hit the ground running straight away at Liverpool, becoming one of the Reds' most important players in his first six months at the club. At the end of the 2022/23 season, the Frenchman had played 26 times with an impressive return of 16 goals and six assists.
12 of his goals came in the 18 Premier League games he played, whilst he also grabbed four in the Champions League and one in the Carabao Cup - though three of his Champions League goals came during his time at PSG. Mbappe also averaged a rating of 7.49 per game during his time under Jurgen Klopp, with only Mohamed Salah registering a higher average rating over the course of the season.
Salah just about edged Mbappe to the best rating in the squad, earning a 7.5 rating on average. Compared to the rest of the Liverpool squad, Mbappe was the top scorer and won the Player of the Match award three times, with only Salah winning it more (8).
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Elliott, Diaz; Mbappe.
Mbappe slotted into the striker position of Liverpool's best XI, and after an impressive improvement in form for Harvey Elliott, the youngster started behind the Frenchman with Diaz and Salah on either side. This meant there was no room in the best XI for Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota or Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool's results from the 2022/23 season with Mbappe in the squad
After Liverpool's poor start to the season and injuries keeping key players out the squad, the Reds struggled big-time in the build-up to the World Cup. They showed major improvement after Mbappe's arrival, but unfortunately, Klopp's side just missed out on a spot in the Premier League top four.
A draw on the final day of the season against Southampton saw Liverpool drop below Newcastle United and out of the Champions League spots, only missing out on goals scored. The Reds and surprise package Newcastle both ended the season on 70 points and a +22 goal difference, but the Magpies scored four more goals than Liverpool.
A poor run of form at the end of the season also saw Manchester United plummet out of the top four, with Man City pipping Arsenal to the league title. Liverpool finished 18 points off City, but the two sides went head to head in two cup finals.
Goals from Mbappe, Elliot and Diaz secured a 3-2 win over Man City in the Carabao Cup final to win the Reds their one trophy of the 2023/23 season. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they couldn't overcome Pep Guardiola's side in the Champions League.
Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva saw City beat 10-man Liverpool 2-0 in the final of the competition after Thiago's red card in the second half killed any chance of a Liverpool comeback. The Reds also crashed out of the FA Cup in the fifth round, losing 3-1 to West Ham United.
Overall, if Liverpool were to sign Kylian Mbappe, the forward could show his talent and massively improve the Reds as expected, ending the season as Liverpool's top scorer, despite playing just half the season. But, the likelihood of Mbappe moving to the Reds is unrealistic for a number of reasons, with money and attitude being two standouts.
Would you like to see Liverpool sign Mbappe in January? Let us know in the comments!
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