Journalist Duncan Castles has claimed that Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe would be ‘particularly interested’ in a switch to Liverpool as speculation mounts over the 21-year-old’s future.
Speaking on the Transfer Window podcast, Castles named the Reds among a host of elite clubs looking to land the World Cup winner in the summer of 2021.
This isn’t the first time Liverpool have been named as a potential suitor for the striker with 10 goals this season – Mbappe has reportedly recently expressed his desire to leave the Parisian club next summer.
Far from a straightforward deal, Liverpool would almost certainly have to supersede their record spend by some margin to land the supremely talented youngster.
However, Castles named Merseyside as a possible destination for the winger, saying: “The clubs he is particularly interested in moving to, Real Madrid, Barcelona, who both have financial issues, Liverpool.”
Once touted as a player with the potential to become ‘one of the greatest’ by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Mbappe has been living up to the hype from a very young age.
Unfortunately, given the likely astronomical fees involved – Mbappe has a market value of £162m according to Transfermarkt – it’s not a deal which comes naturally to the Liverpool owners, a point outlined by Castles.
He said: “Liverpool we know how their finances are at present, we know the efforts FSG have made to improve their finances by laying off and using government schemes, we know that there’s a battle going on at the moment between Klopp and FSG about recruiting a new centre-back.”
READ LIVERPOOL VERDICT
It’s highly possible any move for Mbappe would see the departure of one of either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah, perhaps even moving in the other direction.
The French maestro once described Liverpool as ‘a machine’ when talking about Jurgen Klopp’s relentless winning side. Nobody in the current illustrious Reds squad comes close to the 21-year-old in terms of market value – underpinning both just how highly the forward is valued and the longevity he has at the top of the game given his age.
Whilst spending close to £200m seems far farfetched when you consider the way FSG have conducted their transfer business during their tenure, generational talents such as Mbappe don’t become available all that often. Should the player express an interest in strutting his stuff at Anfield, it is a transfer which the Reds must at least attempt to pursue.
