Liverpool 'contact' with Kylian Mbappe as Real Madrid turn to plan B

Liverpool have 'never broken contact with Kylian Mbappe's entourage', while Real Madrid are looking into their backup transfer option as the the saga drags on.

In what promises to be the transfer story of 2024, Mbappe's future remains up in the air.

The French superstar is into the final months of his Paris Saint-Germain contract and is now free to discuss terms with suitors over a summer move, should he wish.

Real Madrid and Liverpool have both long been tipped as possible next destinations for the man who finished third in the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings. However, PSG remain hopeful he will still sign another extension on his mega-money deal in the French capital.

A lot has been said about the France captain's future – a lot of it conflicting.

One report has claimed that Mbappe has already agreed terms with Real Madrid, while others maintain he is yet to make a decision and won't be rushed into picking where he will play football next season.

Publicly, the forward maintains he is yet to make a decision. Earlier this month, he told reporters: "I haven't made my decision yet. I haven't made a choice. With the agreement I had with the president in the summer, my decision is not important as we managed to protect all the parties and preserved the serenity of the club for the challenges to come, which is the most important. So we will say that it [the decision] is secondary."

Recently it was reported that, despite Real Madrid being the frontrunners for Mbappe's signature, the superstar 'really, really likes' Liverpool – giving the Reds hope of an audacious (if unlikely) deal.

The former Monaco man was courted by Jurgen Klopp before moving to PSG in 2017, while he has spoken positively of Liverpool publicly on several occasions. His mother is also supposedly a fan.

Constant contact

Now L'Equipe report Mbappe is leaning towards moving away from PSG, while Liverpool have 'never broken contact' with the player's entourage.

The report adds: "The courtship that the Reds paid to the striker when he was still in Monaco has never been forgotten and neither have the discussions in the shareholders' private plane. And if [Real Madrid manager] Carlo Ancelotti is a popular coach, so is Jurgen Klopp."

Meanwhile, a report from AS in Spain claims that Real Madrid are studying the possibility of signing Erling Haaland this summer, because "it is not clear that the Mbappe option will bear fruit".

The signing of Haaland by Madrid could be seen as having a double positive for Liverpool in that it could open the door for an Mbappe move, while also removing one of the best players from a direct domestic rival like Manchester City.

This information, however, ought to be taken with a pinch of salt. Anfield Watch understands that Liverpool would only entertain a move for Mbappe in the event that Mohamed Salah were to leave the club in the summer. With the Egyptian leaning towards a contract renewal, that possibility appears increasingly remote.