Guillem Balague bluntly explains Liverpool role in Kylian Mbappe race

Guillem Balague has laid out exactly why Liverpool are in the Kylian Mbappe 'equation' right now. The Frenchman is in high demand.

Kylian Mbappe could well leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer this summer. That will naturally have every club on the planet wanting to sign him - but virtually all of them know there isn't much of a chance.

Mbappe wants a fortune in wages, after all, with only a handful of clubs able to pay anything close to his demands. There's also a sense that he would really like to join Real Madrid, if he's going to leave, and most clubs won't even try to make an offer on the back of that.

And yet, Liverpool are consistently linked. They've actually had their name in the mix since 2017 and have tried on a couple of occasions to get Mbappe. The forward has publicly admitted this - he met with the Reds a few years ago.

But it feels like an incredibly unlikely transfer for Liverpool. They've literally never completed a signing of this magnitude; getting Mbappe would be far and away the biggest signing in the Reds' history.

So why is there any confidence? Well, Guillem Balague suggests this might simply be a case of Mbappe using Liverpool as he pushes for a big contract.

"[Mbappe] saying he's undecided is him saying he hasn't signed anything with anyone yet. Not PSG, not Real Madrid, not Liverpool," Balague explained on CBS Sports. "Why are Liverpool put into the equation?

"Because, basically, if Mbappe was saying 'Real Madrid is where I want to go to', well, negotiations would be easier. If he says 'I love Liverpool' - and he's said that privately - then everything gets a little more complicated, and I guess the pockets get a little fuller."

So essentially, Balague suggests that the common sense feeling towards Mbappe to Liverpool is likely the correct one. The Reds aren't a frontrunner here - they're simply trying out of hope.

Fans probably shouldn't get their hopes up.