Jürgen Klopp has disclosed the extraordinary lengths Liverpool went to in their attempt to sign Kylian Mbappé from Monaco in 2017, revealing the pursuit cost approximately €500 million and involved a clandestine meeting with the player’s family aboard a private jet.
The former Liverpool manager described the failed transfer as “the most expensive non-transfer we’ve ever made” during an appearance on German television station Magenta TV. Klopp explained that he travelled from Blackpool to Nice to meet the Mbappé family, who subsequently boarded a five-cabin private jet for negotiations aimed at persuading the teenager to choose Anfield.
“We flew around in circles and had a delicious meal,” Klopp recalled. “We weren’t allowed to be seen. It was great – and then he went to Paris.”
The meeting took place before Mbappé’s eventual move to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017. The forward, then 18, had starred for a talented Monaco side that reached the Champions League semi-finals during the 2016-17 campaign. He initially joined PSG on loan before completing a permanent transfer for €180 million the following summer, becoming the world’s second-most expensive player.
Liverpool’s efforts were complicated by divided family loyalties. While Mbappé’s mother, Fayza Lamari, supports the Merseyside club, the player ultimately opted for the French capital. The secrecy surrounding the meeting required the aircraft to remain airborne throughout to avoid detection.
Klopp cited the Mbappé disappointment as part of a wider frustration with French talent. “It’s extremely tough for me right now; I’ve already negotiated with three of their players and never got them,” he said, referencing unsuccessful attempts to sign Aurélien Tchouaméni and Manu Koné for Liverpool.
The revelations illustrate how close Liverpool came to securing one of modern football’s most prolific goalscorers. The €500 million figure cited by Klopp represents the total investment that would have been required—including transfer fee, wages and associated costs—to land the France international, who instead became a symbol of Paris Saint-Germain’s domestic dominance.