Kylian Mbappe was in high demand last summer.
After a stunning season for Monaco in 2016/17 which saw Mbappe named the Golden Boy, European giants lined up to try to sign the teenager.
Paris Saint-Germain eventually won the race for Mbappe’s signature and brought him in on an initial loan deal before the move was made permanent this summer.
PSG flexed their spending muscles by making Mbappe the second most expensive player of all time but, apparently, Liverpool were also in talks to sign the youngster.
Ahead of the Champions League clash between Liverpool and PSG, it’s emerged that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp personally attempted to convince Mbappe to move to Anfield.
A report in l’Equipe claims that Klopp spent several hours speaking to Mbappe and that the forward was “charmed by Klopp’s eloquence and enthusiasm.”
Liverpool didn’t have the financial clout to rival PSG although they were prepared to make Mbappe the joint-highest earner at the club, alongside then-midfielder Philippe Coutinho.
Klopp has been showering Mbappe with praise ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the two most dangerous attacking trios in world football.
“I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and a nice lad as well, so he’s a really good kid,” Klopp told RMC Sport. “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”
It will be fascinating to see how Liverpool’s new-look back-five handle the likes of Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani.
