Opinion: Kylian Mbappe wants Liverpool move and this proves it

Mauricio Pochettino told the Guardian that Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe always asks about the Premier League and likes to speak in English.

Speaking to the Guardian, Poch said: “Kylian loves football, he loves to talk about football. He asks about England – how is the game, the mentality and the culture there? He will watch, every day, games from England, France, Italy, Germany.

“He’s only 22 but very mature, confident in his talent and open. He can speak French, of course, but also perfect English and Spanish. I speak in English and Spanish with him – more English than Spanish.

"I said to him the other day: ‘I need to practise my French with you, to improve,’ and he said: ‘Sure, but it’s better for me to talk in English.’ He loves to practise different languages.”

Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast last month, Duncan Castles said: “[Mbappe], as we have reported, is keen on moving to one of two leagues for the next stage of his career. Either the Premier League where his preference I am told would be a move to Liverpool.

“He likes Manchester United as a club, but his preference would be to work with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.”

The Frenchman is reportedly keen on playing under Klopp and signing him would, at least on paper, guarantee trophies at Liverpool for the next decade. Mbappe is still only 22 despite his insane goal tally - despite his age he has already managed 235 goal contributions.

Pochettino's comments to the Guardian and Duncan Castle's comments on the Transfer Window podcast prove that Mbappe wants a move to Liverpool. It's a situation with a lot more nuance than that but the way I see it is that the Reds are certainly among his preferred list of clubs.

The good news for Liverpool is that it seems practically impossible for them to sign him this summer - but neither will any other club. The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the cash flow available to European clubs and so it seems unlikely that the Reds, or any other club, will be able to afford his reported £173million price tag.

While Le Parisien reported in February that Liverpool's owners aren't "put off" by the huge fee it will take to sign Mbappe, I struggle to believe this. Fenway Sports Group sold a 10% stake in the club to RedBird Capital Partners at the start of April, highlighting how seriously the pandemic has affected the club.

This is further highlighted by the fact that Liverpool today announced they made a £46m loss during the previous financial year thanks to the disruption to football. This effectively rules out any massive transfer fees for the likes of Mbappe and as Paul Joyce wrote on April 1st, the deal with RedBird does not mean Jurgen Klopp now has a massive transfer kitty.

This season, Mbappe has had a hand in 47 goals and while it's easy to suggest that playing in Ligue 1 makes it that much easier to score frequently, his 11 goal contributions in the UEFA Champions League prove that he's not stat padding in the weaker French division.

In fact, he was in terrific form against Bayern Munich as he and Neymar sparkled against the German side. Paris Saint-Germain now need to overcome Pep Guardiola's side to reach the final of the tournament for the second season in a row

Mbappe and his teammates have had a tough route to the final; RB Leipzig and Manchester United in the group stage, Barcelona in the Round of 16, Bayern Munich in the last eight and now Manchester City in the semi-finals.

If they make it to the final, they will face Real Madrid or Chelsea to cap off one of the most difficult European Cup runs.

Mbappe has been PSG's star this season and it would be amazing to see him in Liverpool's side under Klopp next summer when the finances behind signing make more sense.