For the past few days, reports in France and Spain have explained Liverpool are set to battle it out with Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappé.
Jürgen Klopp has long been an admirer of the Paris Saint-Germain star and he dreams of signing the forward for the Reds.
The France international has a contract with Nike, who are also the kit manufacturer of the Merseyside club.
On Wednesday, AS explained Nike, and Liverpool part-owner LeBron James, could play a part in helping the English champions land the Ligue 1 player.
Another report from the same newspaper once again explains Klopp’s side have become a ‘great rival’ for Real Madrid in signing Mbappé and Bayern Munich’s David Alaba.
‘The spotlights of the Premier League, a competition that he loves, a club with a history of past and present successes and it also go hand in hand in the most purely lucrative businesses. Nike would be his Celestina,’ states AS.
Last summer, Liverpool agreed a €35m per year deal with Nike and it includes an additional 20 percent of the profit from shirt sales.
‘That is where the potential of Mbappé comes in, an athlete sponsored by Nike who has just joined forces with another star of the house, Lebron James… in turn, a minority shareholder of Liverpool. Join the dotted line. In this way, Mbappé himself would contribute to paying his new salary, which will at least double the € 20.2M net that he currently receives at PSG,’ says the report.
Those figures seem completely unrealistic.
Mbappé could be an ideal candidate to replace Mohamed Salah, if the Egyptian decides to leave Anfield. There’s no mention whether or not Liverpool will still make an approach for the Frenchman should Salah and other attacking stars decide not to leave the club.
Meanwhile, Alaba has also emerged as a target for Liverpool and the claims made in England about their interest in the versatile player are highlighted.
It’s claimed the Reds ‘stopped being second’ in transfer chases and now have power to push ahead, rather than waiting to see what other clubs do.
An unnamed ‘expert in international transfers’ told AS: “In economic and sporting terms, Liverpool is in a real position to fight any signing.”
