‘We talked a little bit’ - Kylian Mbappe held discussions with Liverpool before sticking with PSG
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Updated 24/05/2022 at 07:43 GMT
Kylian Mbappe has told the Daily Telegraph he spoke to Liverpool before deciding to turn down a move to Real Madrid, staying instead at Paris Saint-Germain. The French World Cup winner said he “talked a little bit” with the Champions League finalists, partly because the club is his mum’s “favourite”.
Mbappe has 'lot of respect' for Real Madrid despite turning down move to stay at PSG
Kylian Mbappe has revealed he thought about joining Liverpool before deciding to stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
Having flirted with Real Madrid for the entire season, the France World Cup winner made a surprise move at the weekend by signing a new three-year deal, sparking a threat of legal action from La Liga because of the financial aspects of the contract - which was described as “scandalous” - after he apparently agreed to move to Spain.
Mbappe has also repeatedly been linked with a move to Anfield, although it had always been seen as an outside chance.
“We talked a little bit, but not too much. We talked a little bit,” Mbappe told the Daily Telegraph.
"I talked to Liverpool because it’s the favourite club of my mum, my mum loves Liverpool. I don’t know why, you will have to ask her!
“It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club.”
Mbappe does not go into further detail in the interview, and it is not known quite how far the talks got. But the bigger shock was a decision to stay in France, with the striker instead choosing to bide his time and wait for his next big move.
Before he told anyone else about his decision, he spoke to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to tell him he would be staying in France.
“Everybody knows I wanted to leave for Real Madrid last year and I think it was a good choice to leave last year. But now it’s different because I was a free agent,” said Mbappe.
I was a free agent and it was important to give back to my country. If I had left I would have left as a great player but there is a sentimental part. I don’t think my chapter is closed. Things were not over for me at PSG.
“I’m French and I know I’m important in the country and when you are important you have to think not only about football but about your life. I will be in France after my career. I will leave here [PSG], I will be with my family, my friends.
“The only thing I can say is thank you to all the Real Madrid fans and the club because they gave me all the love. It’s amazing because I was only there for one week when I was 14 [to train]. I said to them good luck for the Champions League [final].”
But do not expect the link with Madrid to die down any time soon, after telling BBC Sport his dream of moving there is “never over”.
"You never know what can happen in the future," he said.
"I give up to think about the future, I only think about the present and the present is I signed a new contract for three years more at Paris Saint-Germain."
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