Superstar reveals why he rejected Liverpool despite the move being “close”

“My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp, and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.

“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone.”

Liverpool’s failure to land Mbappe will naturally look different in hindsight, given the extraordinary career the forward has built since leaving Monaco.

The Frenchman developed into one of the world’s most prolific attackers at PSG before eventually fulfilling his ambition of playing for Real Madrid.