Jürgen Klopp and Kylian Mbappé have followed very different paths since first discussing the possibility of working together nearly a decade ago.
Klopp transformed Liverpool into Premier League and Champions League winners before leaving Anfield in 2024. Mbappé became the face of Paris Saint-Germain, won the World Cup with France and eventually completed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid.
Their careers never officially crossed, but a warm reunion at the 2026 World Cup brought one of Liverpool’s most fascinating transfer stories back into the spotlight.
After France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals, Mbappé approached Klopp near the pitch. The pair embraced, exchanged smiles and briefly spoke before Mbappé appeared to point toward members of his family in the stands. Klopp then waved in their direction, creating a light-hearted moment that immediately attracted attention from Liverpool supporters.
The scene carried additional meaning because Klopp had just revealed how seriously Liverpool tried to sign Mbappé in 2017.
The former Reds manager explained that the club arranged an elaborate private-jet meeting with the young forward and his family while Mbappé was considering his future at Monaco. The operation was designed to remain hidden from the media, but Liverpool’s ambitious presentation ultimately failed to prevent him from joining PSG.
Klopp jokingly described the episode as Liverpool’s most expensive unsuccessful transfer pursuit.
Almost nine years later, he found himself watching Mbappé lead France toward another potential World Cup final.
A Reunion Filled With Mutual Respect
The interaction after France’s victory over Morocco appeared natural rather than staged.
Mbappé made his way toward Klopp, greeted him warmly and shared a brief conversation. The former Liverpool manager responded with his familiar smile before acknowledging the player’s family.
According to Klopp’s account afterward, Mbappé had asked about his family and mentioned his own relatives sitting nearby. That led to Klopp’s wave toward the stands and added a personal dimension to their public reunion.
Their relationship has never been based on years spent together as coach and player. Instead, it was formed through recruitment meetings, mutual admiration and repeated speculation about what might have happened had Mbappé chosen Liverpool.
Klopp clearly retained affection for the French captain. Mbappé, meanwhile, appeared pleased to see a coach who had once made an extraordinary effort to convince him to move to England.
The moment offered a reminder that failed negotiations do not always end with bitterness.
Liverpool lost the transfer battle, but Klopp’s approach appears to have left a positive impression on Mbappé and his family.
Liverpool’s Secret Flight to Meet Mbappé
In 2017, Mbappé was the most exciting young attacker in European football. He had emerged from Monaco’s academy and played a central role in a team that won Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals. His pace, composure and movement immediately attracted Europe’s largest clubs.
Liverpool knew the competition for his signature would be intense.
Rather than inviting Mbappé to a public meeting at a hotel or training ground, the club organized a far more discreet operation. Klopp recalled travelling by private aircraft to meet Mbappé and his family in Nice.
The discussion reportedly continued aboard the aircraft while it flew above the French coast. The arrangement offered privacy, allowing Liverpool to explain its plans without creating immediate headlines or alerting rival clubs.
Klopp described the aircraft as unusually luxurious, with several rooms and enough space for the family, Liverpool representatives and food service.
The flight was more than an expensive gesture. It showed that Liverpool considered Mbappé a player capable of changing the future of the club.
The recruitment team was not simply asking whether he might be interested. Liverpool were attempting to convince one of football’s most valuable emerging talents that Anfield should become the next stage of his career.
Why Klopp Wanted Mbappé So Badly
Mbappé appeared almost perfectly suited to Klopp’s football.
The German coach had built his reputation around aggressive pressing, rapid transitions and attacking players capable of exploiting space before opponents could reorganize.
At 18, Mbappé already possessed extraordinary speed. He could begin on the wing, move through the centre and attack defensive lines with or without the ball.
His finishing was also unusually mature for a teenager.
Many young forwards reach dangerous positions but struggle to make the final decision. Mbappé had already shown that he could remain composed against experienced goalkeepers and elite defenders.
Klopp could easily have imagined him developing alongside Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool’s famous front three eventually became one of the strongest attacking combinations in Europe. Adding Mbappé to that group—or building around him as the attack evolved—could have given Klopp another devastating option.
The Frenchman’s age also fitted Liverpool’s wider recruitment strategy. He was already producing at a Champions League level but still had enormous room for improvement.
This was not an opportunity Klopp wanted to watch from a distance.
Liverpool were determined to make a serious attempt.
Mbappé’s Mother Gave Liverpool Hope
One reason Liverpool believed the conversation was worthwhile was the club’s connection to Mbappé’s mother, Fayza Lamari.
Mbappé later revealed that he had spoken with Liverpool partly because it was his mother’s favourite club. He explained that she loved Liverpool, although he joked that people would need to ask her why.
That family connection did not guarantee a transfer, but it gave Liverpool an opening.
Players at Mbappé’s level rarely make major career decisions alone. Parents, advisers and agents evaluate the sporting project, financial package, location and long-term pathway.
Lamari’s affection for Liverpool meant the club was not simply another name attempting to enter the negotiations.
She was reportedly enthusiastic about the possibility, and Liverpool used the meeting to present a project built around Klopp’s coaching, Anfield’s atmosphere and the opportunity to develop in the Premier League.
The reunion at the World Cup therefore contained a subtle connection to the original negotiations.
When Klopp waved toward Mbappé’s family, he was acknowledging people he had previously met during one of the most important transfer pursuits of his Liverpool career.
Why the Transfer Never Happened
Liverpool’s presentation was ambitious, but Mbappé ultimately remained in France.
He joined PSG from Monaco in 2017, initially on loan before the transfer became permanent. The arrangement was widely reported at approximately €180 million, making him the most expensive teenager in football history.
PSG offered several advantages.
Mbappé could return to the Paris region where he had grown up, compete for major trophies and become a central figure in a project featuring Neymar and other elite players.
Liverpool, by comparison, were still developing under Klopp.
The team had shown progress and reached the Champions League final in 2018, but when Mbappé made his choice in 2017, the Reds had not yet won the major trophies that would later define Klopp’s reign.
From Mbappé’s perspective, PSG offered familiarity and immediate domestic dominance.
Liverpool offered the Premier League, Klopp and the possibility of becoming part of a rapidly improving side.
Both projects were attractive, but he chose Paris.
Klopp’s recent story suggests Liverpool did everything realistically possible to place themselves in the conversation. The failure was not caused by a lack of effort.
The Most Expensive “Non-Transfer”
Klopp has always used humour when discussing disappointing moments, and his description of the Mbappé pursuit followed that pattern.
He referred to it as an extraordinarily costly non-transfer, reflecting the amount of planning and expense Liverpool invested without eventually receiving a player in return.
The comment was clearly delivered with amusement rather than resentment.
Private flights, confidential meetings and detailed presentations are normal parts of elite recruitment, especially when clubs compete for one of the world’s most valuable young players.
What made this attempt memorable was its scale and outcome.
Liverpool arranged an exceptional experience, spent time with Mbappé’s family and offered him a role in Klopp’s developing team. Yet the club returned to England without an agreement.
Transfers are often discussed as simple financial contests, but the Mbappé story shows how many factors can influence a decision.
Liverpool could present a respected coach, a passionate stadium and one of Europe’s most competitive leagues. PSG could offer Paris, enormous ambition and a team constructed around global stars.
No amount of luxury aboard a private jet could completely remove the appeal of returning home.
How Different Liverpool Might Have Looked
It is impossible to know what Liverpool would have achieved with Mbappé, but the possibilities remain fascinating.
Salah joined Liverpool in the same summer that Mbappé moved to PSG. The Egyptian immediately became one of the Premier League’s most productive forwards.
Mané was entering his second season at Anfield, while Firmino was developing into the tactical centre of Klopp’s attack.
Mbappé would have joined a group built for high-speed football.
He could have played from the left, attacked centrally or rotated with the other forwards. His movement behind defensive lines would have benefited from Firmino’s tendency to drop deeper, while Salah and Mané could have stretched opponents across the width of the pitch.
The challenge would have been managing so many attacking stars.
Mbappé needed regular football to continue his development. Klopp would have had to find a system that gave him enough responsibility without disrupting the balance of a team still being constructed.
Liverpool’s finances might also have changed dramatically.
A transfer of that size could have affected later spending on Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker or other players who became essential to the club’s success.
Signing Mbappé would not automatically have improved every part of the squad.
Even so, imagining his speed within Liverpool’s peak counterattacking system explains why supporters continue to revisit the near miss.
Mbappé’s Career Justified Liverpool’s Pursuit
The years following the failed transfer confirmed Liverpool’s assessment of the player.
Mbappé became PSG’s leading scorer, won repeated domestic titles and helped France capture the 2018 World Cup. He scored in the final against Croatia and became one of the tournament’s defining young stars.
At the 2022 World Cup, he produced a hat-trick in the final against Argentina and won the Golden Boot despite France losing the match on penalties.
He later joined Real Madrid in 2024 after years of speculation, completing the move without a transfer fee when his PSG contract expired. Real Madrid described him as an international superstar when formally confirming the signing.
By the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé had become France’s captain and primary attacking figure.
Liverpool did not merely miss a promising teenager. They missed a player who developed into one of the era’s most influential footballers.
Klopp’s story therefore carries more emotional weight than the average failed negotiation.
Mbappé Shines in the World Cup Quarter-Final
The reunion followed another decisive performance from Mbappé.
France defeated Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup semi-finals, with Mbappé recovering impressively after missing a first-half penalty.
He opened the scoring in the 60th minute with a curling finish and then contributed to the move that produced Ousmane Dembélé’s second goal six minutes later. The victory moved France within one match of a third consecutive World Cup final.
Mbappé’s goal took him to eight for the tournament, level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring chart at that stage.
He also became the youngest player to reach 20 World Cup appearances and matched Hugo Lloris’ French record for appearances at the competition.
Klopp watched the performance while working as a television pundit.
That setting made the reunion particularly appropriate. Nearly a decade after trying to convince Mbappé to join his Liverpool project, Klopp was now analysing him as one of the biggest stars in world football.
Klopp’s Life After Liverpool
Klopp left Liverpool in 2024 after admitting that he no longer possessed the energy required to continue managing the club.
His departure ended a transformative period in which Liverpool won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
He later became Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, moving into a strategic position covering coaching development, recruitment and the wider football structure across the company’s network of clubs.
His work as a World Cup pundit brought him back into direct contact with the emotional intensity of elite matches.
Klopp’s commentary role also allowed his personality to emerge without the pressure of managing a team. He could analyse performances, share stories and reconnect with players he had encountered during his coaching career.
The Mbappé revelation was exactly the type of anecdote only Klopp could deliver: ambitious, secretive, expensive and told years later with laughter.
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