Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe came close to joining Liverpool back in 2017 and is now the centre of fresh

transfer speculation amid reports he wants to leave the French capital

Kylian Mbappe’s future is the subject of intense speculation – and not for the first time.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is desperate to join Real Madrid, but with one year left on his current deal he has angered

his paymasters in the French capital by insisting that he be allowed to leave.

PSG want to bank a fee for him, and so with the situation at an impasse they have attempted to offload him to Saudi Arabia

on a money-spinning deal for just one season.

Mbappe doesn’t want to move to the Saudi Pro League though, and that has raised the incredible possibility of a loan move

to Liverpool, who have long been credited with an interest in the superstar.

Mbappe was close to heading to Anfield before joining PSG from Monaco back in 2017 – and L’Equipe claimed previously

that he held a two-hour meeting with Reds owner John W Henry on his private jet.

They reported that Henry attempted to win over Mbappe and his family in early 2017 by flying his private jet to Monaco and

inviting them on board. They are said to have flown over the bay of Nice and its surroundings for two hours as they

discussed his future before the Reds eventually missed out.

The support of Nike, Mbappe and Liverpool’s major sponsors, could give them an increased chance of landing the striker if

he decides to move on.

Speaking before Liverpool faced PSG back in 2018, Klopp told RMC Sport: “I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and

a nice lad as well, so he’s a really good kid. What a player, what a player.

“Everyone knows him since he was 16, 17, when he impressed in Monaco’s youth teams, and I saw videos of him when he

was 17 and he destroyed defensive lines as he is doing now.

“He’s at an unbelievable level of consistency at that age. He’s an outstanding player, that’s clear, but he can deliver, deliver

and deliver, which shows he’s really good educated boy and he knows what he is doing.”

When speculation ramped up surrounding Mbappe back in early 2021, Reds legend Jamie Carragher admitted he believed at

the time Liverpool had a realistic chance of making the blockbuster signing.

“I’m not joking,” Carragher told CBS Sports when asked why he felt the Reds had a realistic chance of signing Mbappe.

“It was based on the fact that Liverpool thought they had a decent chance of getting Mbappe when he was at Monaco. I know

Jurgen Klopp had spoken to him then and I’m sure other clubs had at that time.

“When Liverpool were in the Champions League final and won the Champions League a couple of years ago, I think anyone

watching Liverpool there with Jurgen Klopp and the support of Anfield, if you’re ever gonna go to a club in England before

you go to Real Madrid…

“Because I think he will, guaranteed, play for Real Madrid at some stage in his career but I’d always feel that maybe

Liverpool is that perfect destination for a player like that before you make that next step.”

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Liverpool have missed out on a potential £7.5million addition to their transfer kitty as a result of Sadio

Mane heading to Al Nassr, according to reports.

 

Mane became a Liverpool hero during six years at Anfield between 2016 and 2022. He registered 120 goals in 269 games

and formed a devastating attacking partnership with Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino. That trio helped Liverpool win

trophies such as the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.

However, Mane broke Liverpool hearts last summer by signing for German giants Bayern. He was eager to take part in a new

challenge and Bayern pounced to make him Robert Lewandowski’s replacement up front.

But the attacker has not lived up to expectations in Bavaria. He notched 12 goals in 38 matches in his debut season for

Bayern, with only seven of those strikes coming in the Bundesliga.

Mane was also suspended and given a hefty fine by Bayern following an altercation with team-mate Leroy Sane.

Mane’s troublesome year at Bayern resulted in new manager Thomas Tuchel deciding he wants to get rid of the Senegal

international. Despite rumours of a huge Liverpool return, Mane is on the verge of signing for Al Nassr in a move which will

see him play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

On July 20, it emerged that Al Nassr were ‘in talks’ with Bayern over the transfer. And on Friday, Fabrizio Romano gave Mane’s switch to the Middle East his ‘here we go’ confirmation.

The Daily Mail have now provided an intriguing report on how that will impact Liverpool. They state that Bayern initially

paid Liverpool £27.5million to sign Mane last year. The deal included an extra £7.5m in performance-related add-ons, which

included how many goals Mane would go on to score.

Liverpool will not receive extra Bayern fee

However, the 31-year-old has not met such requirements, which means Liverpool will not be receiving that additional £7.5m

sum.

That money would have been perfect in helping Liverpool fund their move for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. Instead though,

Liverpool will have to fund that signing through other means.

Al Nassr will reportedly pay Bayern £30m for Mane, which will see the Bundesliga outfit make a slight profit on him.

This is the only destination that would have given Bayern a profit. No club in Europe would want to pay £30m for Mane

given his age and the fact he endured a troublesome season in Germany.

Al Nassr will be hoping Mane’s arrival can help them win the Saudi title ahead of last season’s champions Al Ittihad. The

Anfield hero will play alongside well-known European stars such as Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles and Seko Fofana

at Al Nassr.