In an ideal world, Liverpool would be able to boost their attack in the summer 2021 transfer window. They would be able to sign a superstar forward who can reinvigorate their offense and add goals, because the Reds currently have just one truly clinical attacker in Mohamed Salah. Hopefully, Diogo Jota can become one soon and then Harvey Elliott can join him later, but the Reds would love to have someone with true star power in 2021-2022.
There are two big names who could be available in the summer window, Kylian Mbappe and Jadon Sancho. For quite some time, these two men have been tracked by Kopites but largely seen as pipe dreams. Mbappe and Real Madrid have been linked closely, while Sancho has always seemed to be favored by Manchester United.
Between the two of them, Mbappe seems to be the less likely signing. He would cost upwards of 100 million euros and has traditionally been the kind of player who goes for a Real or Barcelona instead of a club in the Premier League. And with his idol Zinedine Zidane as Real’s manager, the move makes too much sense. Mbappe would be the next Galactico, the centerpiece of the biggest club in the world in terms of social media following, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s true successor.
But those kinds of fairytales rarely work out in football. Zidane might leave Real at the end of the season, which could affect Mbappe’s decision. He’d surely want to move to Madrid for more reasons than just the manager, but Zidane’s departure could give a club like Liverpool an opening they may not have had otherwise.
Could Liverpool swap Mohamed Salah for Kylian Mbappe?
We know that PSG are looking at one man to replace Mbappe above the rest, Mohamed Salah. The potential 2020-2021 Premier League Golden Boot winner is arguably the best out-and-out right winger in the world and would be an excellent addition to PSG’s attack. If Mbappe makes it clear he wants out of Paris, PSG would want Salah.
And we know Liverpool have to sell either Sadio Mane or Salah to sign a world-class forward, with Sancho mostly brought up in this context. So could the Reds skip the step and simply trade Salah and the extra cash (not an insignificant fee, but likely affordable for Fenway Sports Group) for the most valuable transfer on the planet and the future best in the world? Could Mbappe play free-flowing attacking football with Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League?
There are so many “What ifs?” that impact this. The Real Madrid interest, the PSG renewal, the financial details, the potential to only play in the Europa League, the questions about supporting cast.
But all of a sudden, I’m not so sure we can say Mbappe to Liverpool is impossible. Extremely unlikely? Yes. Less than a five percent chance? Pretty much.
But if a Liverpool fan told me they were still dreaming of Mbappe, I wouldn’t call them foolish. I would hope nobody is getting their hopes up, but, look, it’s OK to dream as fans. And there are far more outlandish landing spots and rumors than Mbappe to Anfield.