PSG would take Trent & Mane in Mbappe swap-deal, says PSG Talk

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Empire of the Kop has enjoyed a chat with PSG fansite PSGtalk, who wanted to know our thoughts on Kylian Mbappe ever arriving at Anfield.

Here was the position and proposition or their writer Ed, and our reaction!

Ed, PSGtalk:

Let’s get one thing straight before we get started. I don’t want Paris Saint-Germain to sell Kylian Mbappé for any amount of money or any package of players. He’s that special of a talent.However, football is a business and players do request transfers.

If it came to be that Mbappé asked for a transfer and the club was inclined to listen to offers, I think Liverpool FC would be one of those teams picking up the phone.Given Mbappé’s astronomical valuation, it makes sense for a swap deal to be worked out and Liverpool are uniquely positioned to put together a deal with the amount of talent they have in their squad.

If I were running PSG, here is who I would request from Liverpool for Mbappé:I wouldn’t listen to any offer from Liverpool unless Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name was at the top of the offer sheet. If PSG must lose a local boy, then Liverpool should have to do the same. TAA also plays right-back, which has become a vital position in the modern game and world-class talents like him are difficult to find in the transfer market.

The next player I would request (yes, I want two players for Mbappé) is Sadio Mané. Losing Mbappé will leave a gaping hole in PSG’s attack and the club will need someone to replace his offensive output. Mané doesn’t have the pace of Mbappé but he can still give defenders nightmares with his ruthless dribbling ability.

Assuming PSG retain Mauro Icardi after his loan from Inter Milan, the Ligue 1 champions could trot out Neymar Jr., Icardi, and Mané as their front three next season. I can live with that.Alexander-Arnold and Mané are two big players for Liverpool, so, to make the numbers work and make Jürgen Klopp happy, I’d be willing to toss in one Julian Draxler to appease the German manager.So, do we have a deal?

Empire of the Kop’s response:

Do we have a deal…?! Not quite, I’m afraid.

Firstly, I don’t think there’s any point speculating about Mbappe leaving in 2020. It’s not going to happen, but next summer, providing football returns to something close to normality, it might be more likely, so long as the Frenchman doesn’t pen a lengthy extension.

Next summer, Mbappe will have one year left on his contract, so if he fancies a switch, surely he won’t renew terms (or at least renew with a get-out clause) so he can control his own future.

Surely PSG would prefer to sell for a (still massive) sum than lose him for nothing a year later?

So working on this theory, I think any prospective swap-deal is probably off the table – but as this is just speculation anyway – here’s my thoughts:

Trent is going nowhere! The Scouser wants to stay with his boyhood club for life and the lure of Ligue 1 is not going to pull him away – no offence intended! If Trent isn’t still at Liverpool in 2025, something has gone badly wrong, as he’s a jaw-droppingly special footballer who (like Mbappe) can go on to become a true great.

We don’t want to sell Sadio Mane either, but if you offered me a straight swap between our brilliant no.10 and Mbappe now – I’d probably take it, because one is 28 and the other is 21. In terms of ability, I don’t think there’s that much in it, although Mbappe has scope to further improve while Mane is enjoying his peak.

But if in this fantasy land I’m giving up Mane, you’re not having anyone else on top, even with the bonus of Julian Draxler, who we absolutely do not need – especially considering he rejected us before we were the world’s best team.