Reporting note: this article draws on BBC Sport; PGLive provides the summary and editorial framing.
A high-stakes recruitment effort
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has disclosed details regarding an ambitious attempt to bring Kylian Mbappé to Anfield in 2017. During his tenure, Klopp and the club hierarchy orchestrated a private meeting with the forward and his family, utilizing a private jet to facilitate discussions while the player was still at AS Monaco.
The logistics of the pursuit
Klopp described the operation as the club's "most expensive non-transfer." The recruitment effort involved flying the Mbappé family from Blackpool to Nice, where they held private talks aboard a jet. Klopp noted that the club went to significant lengths to maintain confidentiality during the negotiations, which ultimately proved unsuccessful as the player opted to join Paris St-Germain.
Context of the move
At the time of the approach, Mbappé was one of the most sought-after young talents in European football. Following the failed Liverpool bid, he moved to PSG on an initial loan deal that included an option to make the transfer permanent for 180 million euros (£153 million). Mbappé spent seven seasons in Paris, establishing himself as the club's all-time leading goalscorer before completing a move to Real Madrid in 2024.
Klopp’s current status
Klopp, who departed Liverpool in 2024 after a nine-year spell that included Premier League and Champions League titles, is currently working as a pundit for Magenta TV. He is widely expected to transition into the role of head coach for the German national team in the near future.
A single, worn leather flight manual remained tucked into the seat pocket of the private jet, forgotten in the haste of the departure.
