Jurgen Klopp has addressed recent rumours linking Liverpool with a move for Kylian Mbappe with a rather emphatic response.
The Mirror made a sensational claim that the Reds have been in discussions over a potential loan move for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar amid a strained relationship with his club.
The Ligue 1 champions had accepted a staggering £259m bid from Al Hilal for the 24-year-old, but he opted against a move to the Saudi Pro League.
When asked about the extraordinary transfer rumour, Klopp swiftly replied (Sky Germany, via 90min): “Mbappe and Liverpool links? We laugh about it! I can say that I think he’s a really good player, but the financial conditions don’t suit us at all.”
The Reds manager added: “That would be first time in eight years that someone else from the club is preparing something and wants to surprise me!”
Klopp’s very public dismissal of the rumours linking Liverpool with Mbappe says it all about how unlikely it ever seemed that anything would come to fruition in that regard.
The Frenchman is on a scarcely credible £1.19m per week at PSG, more than three times the wage being given to the Reds’ highest earner Mo Salah and five times larger than the next-best reimbursed player at Anfield in Virgil van Dijk (Capology).
Even if a loan move wouldn’t have seen LFC take on the 24-year-old’s full earnings, they’d probably have been asked to pay a portion of it which still would’ve risked shattering the club’s wage structure.
While Mbappe’s superstar status and ability to excel on the biggest stage is beyond question, having scored a hat-trick in last year’s World Cup final, he’s not a player Liverpool need at this moment in time.
Klopp is already nicely stocked for attackers, whereas the midfield and defence could still require attention in the final month of the summer transfer window. The manager’s forthright dismissal of the recent rumours has been quite telling.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones