Although Real Madrid would appear to remain in the box seat for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain star, Kylian Mbappe, Liverpool have been given positive news in their own pursuit of the front man.
What seems almost certain now is that the World Cup winner doesn’t see his long-term future in the French capital, and the decision for him is whether to go to Los Blancos, or the Reds because of his admiration for Jurgen Klopp.
It’s by no means a foregone conclusion that he will end up at the Santiago Bernabeu, and if Mbappe waits until next summer to leave, Liverpool could be favourites.
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“Our understanding is that while Liverpool can’t necessarily afford a transfer fee in the region of what Chelsea paid for Romelu Lukaku, they can afford a move for Mbappe under freedom of contract next summer, when he will be out of his current deal with PSG,” Ian McGarry said on the Transfer Window Podcast, cited by the Liverpool ECHO.
“Of course, the wages will be substantial, but again, Mbappe is interested in making the move to Liverpool, something that Jurgen Klopp has a central role in, in regards to Mbappe’s respect and admiration for the German coach.
“We know that Real Madrid are interested as well and that will be an option for him. However, it is information reported to us that Liverpool are pursuing and they believe they have an opportunity in which they may be able to get Mbappe for two or three years if they include a get-out clause in his contract, which would be signed under freedom of movement.
“So Mbappe would be in charge of his future in terms of leaving Liverpool at the point he wants to, so his career plan would be one he’s completely in charge of.”
In terms of a project, the Premier League outfit are quite a bit further ahead that the Spanish giants, and are very definitely a team in Klopp’s own image.
There’s plenty of work to do to get anywhere close to a deal, but we can be assured that Liverpool will be doing all they can whilst there’s a chance of getting Mbappe to sign on the dotted line.