Kylian Mbappé already said it all about Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool transfer truth becomes clear

Kylian Mbappé has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent months as his PSG future remains up in the air. He’s spoken before about Jürgen Klopp.

Kylian Mbappé, the elite PSG forward, previously had some high praise for Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager. Now that Klopp is planning to retire at the end of the season, his glowing words are getting attention again.

In May, Klopp will say goodbye to Anfield and take a break from football, leaving big boots for his replacement to fill. There’s an interesting question over how this will affect Liverpool, especially when it comes to securing top talent in the transfer market.

Mbappé has been heavily linked with a move to Merseyside, with his future still up in the air. But with Klopp stepping down, it seems even less likely that Anfield will be his next destination. Back in the 2019/20 season, when the Reds clinched the title, the 2018 World Cup winner shared how much he admired Liverpool and its manager.

“What Liverpool do in this moment is amazing,” Mbappé told BBC Sport. “They’re like a machine, they’ve found a rhythm and are like ‘we play again, we play again’. They’ve lost zero games. When you watch you think everything’s easy but that’s not easy.

“The guys are focused, they play games every three days and they win, they win, they win. Now the problem is that everybody watches Liverpool, and everybody watches what we can do against them, so now they have to show they are strong again but it’s a very good team with a very good manager.”

Mbappé’s time at PSG could be coming to an end this summer when his contract runs out. This means he can join another club for free and right now, it doesn’t look like he will be signing a new contract in Paris — Real Madrid looks like his most likely destination, although the transfer saga has been here before.

But Mbappé’s complimentary words in the past speak to a transfer truth. There’s no way the Frenchman could have even been linked to Liverpool with any degree of plausibility were it not for the influence and pull of Klopp; he is a manager for whom top players want to play, and he has instilled a style which appeals to the game’s best talent.

Liverpool won’t lose its transfer market sway overnight. The drop-off is not likely to be dramatic at all — Klopp is leaving the Reds in great shape, and FSG will continue to offer competitive wage packets. But it’s just another aspect of slight uncertainty that the new manager will have to navigate.