Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed how the Reds laid on a private jet and food for Kylian Mbappe and his family in an attempt to sign the France striker before he opted to join Paris St-Germain in 2017.
The German said it was the “most expensive non-transfer” the club had invested in, as they courted the then-Monaco forward, now aged 27.
Speaking before France beat Morocco to reach the World Cup semi-finals, Klopp – who is working for Magenta TV as a pundit at the tournament – said the Real Madrid man had been wanted by Liverpool.
He went on to explain how a flight was taken from Blackpool to Nice in France, where “the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something”.
Mbappe is represented by his mother, who runs a consulting company for professional footballers.
“We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said at pitchside.
He said they had not wanted to be seen having talks – but the meeting proved fruitless.
Mbappe later joined PSG on loan in a deal with an option for the move to become permanent for 180m euros (£153m). He went on to spend seven years in Paris, becaming the club’s record goal scorer before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024.
“We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris,” Klopp said.
Klopp, 59, spent nine years on Merseyside, delivering a Champions League and Premier League title before quitting in 2024.
He is widely expected to be named as the next head coach of the German national team.