The transfer rumor mill has taken a strange turn.
"Liverpool have overtaken Real Madrid to take the lead in the race to sign Kylian Mbappe," British outlet Team Talk reported on Tuesday.
As Mbappe's move continues to gain traction, the tide may be turning. Currently, Mbappe, his club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Real Madrid are in a long, drawn-out tug-of-war.
However, Liverpool have now entered the fray. The Reds are looking to capitalize on a lull in Mbappe's Real Madrid transfer speculation.
First, Mbappe was locked in a battle with PSG over his contract. Last summer, Mbappe refused to sign a new contract with PSG. PSG were furious and eventually decided to sell him. However, Real Madrid were unwilling to meet Mbappe's exorbitant transfer fee. Chelsea, Liverpool, and Al-Hilal were also interested in signing Mbappe at the time, but he rejected all of them.
PSG ultimately took a hard line, excluding Mbappe from preseason. However, after the team's disappointing start to the season, Mbappe and PSG's hierarchy spoke and ended the situation.
However, Mbappe and PSG still haven't signed a new contract. Naturally, Real Madrid are still interested. However, Real Madrid reportedly don't have a lot of money to spend on Mbappe. According to British outlet The Athletic, Real Madrid have spent heavily on remodeling their home stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid then gave Mbappe time to decide if he wanted to join them. Until mid-January. If Mbappe hasn't decided on a move by then, Real Madrid's interest could fade.
In the meantime, Liverpool are once again in the running for Mbappe, as they were last summer. "Liverpool are serious about signing Mbappe, and if Real Madrid don't want him, Liverpool have a chance," said Loic Tanzi of the highly respected 토토 French publication L'Equipe. "Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has wanted Mbappe since he was playing for AS Monaco," he claimed.
However, it remains to be seen if Liverpool will sign Mbappe. The Reds would also have to deal with Mbappe's huge wages. Mbappe's weekly wages are around €1.38 million, which would crush Liverpool's wage structure. Current Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah earns £350,000 a week.