​You could tell even in his teenage years that Kylian Mbappé was destined to be a top-tier footballer. Jürgen Klopp had noticed the same spark, but despite an enormous effort, he couldn’t persuade the forward to join Liverpool. Klopp disclosed on Magenta TV that he had attempted to sign Mbappé before the youngster moved to Paris Saint-Germain for 180 million euros. He described it as “the most expensive non-transfer of his career.” The reason was simple: Liverpool had gone all out, pulling out all the stops and conducting negotiations aboard a private jet with five rooms. Yet Mbappé evidently wasn’t sufficiently impressed and chose Paris instead.
You can watch the full story in this video. After Mbappé’s France team defeated Morocco, the two men crossed paths again. They exchanged a brief exchange after the final whistle, and the French superstar gestured toward the stands. What was he trying to show Klopp?
The likely future Germany coach offered a public glimpse into the moment: “He asked me how my family was doing. Good. I asked him if he had a family of his own yet, and he replied, ‘Yes, she’s sitting up there.’” This anecdote adds a personal touch to a rivalry marked by ambition and near-misses in the transfer market.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in German here.