Liverpool 'believe' they have Kylian Mbappe chance – here's why it won't happen

Liverpool 'believe' they have a chance of landing Kylian Mbappe next summer, according to one report. Don't get too excited.

The Ballon d'Or's third ranked men's footballer in 2023 is still on track to become a free agent next year.

If you remember, Mbappe turned down a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, leading to a very public falling out between club and player that saw the 24-year-old frozen out of the pre-season tour and left to train with a group of unwanted players nicknamed 'the undesirables'.

PSG even accepted a £259m bid from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for the striker, though Mbappe refused to even meet and discuss a transfer.

While he has since been reintegrated into PSG's first-team squad (scoring 12 goals in as many appearances in 2023/24 so far), Mbappe's future remains up in the air. It is now less than two months until the 2018 World Cup winner can sign a pre-contract agreement with another club outside France.

That club is widely expected to be Real Madrid, who have been waiting patiently for Mbappe's deal to run down, with many reporting that the forward's switch to the Spanish capital next summer is an inevitability.

However, according to L’Equipe, Liverpool still hold some optimism that they could lure the player Jurgen Klopp once personally courted when he was still a wonderkid at Monaco.

The report claims that the Reds 'have never broken contact with the Paris native's entourage' and 'have always believed in their chances of bringing Mbappe to the Premier League'.

Although a summer deal could be legally pre-arranged as early as January, L’Equipe add that Real Madrid do not expect to make significant progress over Mbappe's future in the first quarter of 2024, leaving open the possibility for other suitors to plan an attack.

It is also said that PSG remain optimistic that the player could still sign another contract extension.

Before you get your hopes up, the real-world chances of Liverpool landing Mbappe are practically zero for financial reasons.

Reports vary on the exact details of the forward's current PSG contract, but he is thought to be on around €72m (£63m) a year – well over £1m a week. Then there are the bonuses. The New York Times claim that Mbappe will be paid €630m (£550m) over the course of his contract in France.

Whoever signs Mbappe next summer will be getting the most expensive 'free transfer' of all time and one definitely out of Liverpool's price range.

For context, Mohamed Salah is the Reds' highest-paid player of all time on a reported £350k a week. The numbers for a deal with Mbappe simply aren't feasible.

Even L'Equipe admit it would be a 'surprise' to see Mbappe end up at Liverpool, in spite of the club's supposed optimism.