Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has dismissed the chances of Liverpool signing Kylian Mbappe this summer as remote.
The Mirror claimed over the weekend that the Reds were in talks over a sensational loan swoop for the 24-year-old, who’s left Paris Saint-Germain raging after he rejected a move to Al Hilal despite his club accepting a seismic £259m bid for him.
It’s since emerged that Chelsea are hoping to prevent the Merseysiders from signing the France superstar as they plot a player-plus-cash deal (The Daily Star), although it seems the prospects of either Premier League club landing him are rather slim.
Speaking on Sky Sports News today (via Football Daily on Twitter), Solhekol said: “The only scenario where I think that could happen is [if] this standoff continues until the end of the summer. PSG are expecting Real Madrid to make a late, late derisory bid, which will be refused.
“At that stage, maybe PSG think: ‘Look, we’ve got a player. We’re not going to play him; we don’t want to pay him, so let’s send him out on loan. Let’s find a club who would take him on loan just for 12 months, and then he can go to Real Madrid’.
“In that scenario, maybe a Chelsea or a Liverpool could come into the picture, but we’ve got no information to suggest that either of those clubs are interested in signing Kylian Mbappe.
“I’m sure if you spoke to any Premier League club, they would say: ‘Yes he’s a great player, probably the best player in the world, but we don’t have the finances to be able to do that kind of deal. We can’t pay a transfer fee as big as that and we can’t pay his wages’.
“I would rule it out, maybe not completely and utterly because there is a little farfetched scenario where it could happen, but I wouldn’t put any money on it.”
Despite the weekend’s reports of Liverpool being in talks over a potential loan swoop for Mbappe, the likelihood of the Reds paying even a fraction of his £1.19m weekly wages (Capology) is fanciful at best.
Even if PSG want to farm him out temporarily for the upcoming season, it’s hard to imagine Anfield being the 24-year-old’s destination.
He’s unquestionably a phenomenal player, but Jurgen Klopp will surely be more than happy with his current attacking options.
You can see Solhekol’s comments on Sky Sports News below, via @footballdaily on Twitter:
Could Kylian Mbappe end up on loan to Chelsea or Liverpool?! 🏴
"I would rule it out, maybe not completely and utterly because there is a little farfetched scenario where it could happen."
[via @SkyKaveh] pic.twitter.com/uzIrQQ6IDK
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 31, 2023