Jürgen Klopp's Near Misses: Three French Stars Who Slipped Through His Fingers at Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp, reflecting on the World Cup quarter-final clash between France and Morocco, has shared behind-the-scenes insights into how three prominent French national team stars eluded him during his time as head coach of Liverpool.

Speaking as a television pundit for MagentaTV, Klopp recounted his unsuccessful efforts to recruit captain Kylian Mbappé (now at Real Madrid), Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé (currently with Paris Saint-Germain), and midfield powerhouse Adrien Rabiot (playing for AC Milan).

Klopp described a moment at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Boston, where he stood among the warming-up French players. He initiated the conversation by saying, "It's extremely difficult for me right now. I've negotiated with three of them before and never managed to sign them."

During his tenure as manager of the Reds from 2015 to 2024, Klopp was keen to bring the then-emerging Mbappé, who was making waves at AS Monaco, to Anfield. "Regarding Kylian Mbappé, I'm not exactly sure of the year, but it was before he moved to Paris," Klopp stated.

Jürgen Klopp's Fruitless Pursuit of Ousmane Dembélé Ends with a Broken Phone

The efforts to sign the attacker were described as "the most expensive non-transfer we've ever invested in." Klopp then elaborated on the peculiar nature of the negotiations: "We flew from Blackpool to Nice with Liverpool. The entire Mbappé family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something. We then flew in circles, spoke with the family, had a nice meal..."

When questioned by host Johannes B. Kerner about the reason for this unusual approach, Klopp revealed, "We weren't allowed to be seen. We kept flying in circles, it was great – and then he went to Paris." This was in the summer of 2017. Mbappé initially joined PSG on loan, with a permanent move confirmed a year later for a total fee of 180 million euros.

The previous summer, Klopp had faced rejection from Dembélé, who opted to move from Stade Rennes to Klopp's former club, Borussia Dortmund. "We spoke in Paris," Klopp recalled. "I already had a feeling, I'm not sure now if he even knew who we were."

The meeting was arranged by Dembélé's agent but did not go as Klopp had hoped. "Then I left. I thought, this is rubbish. And that's when my phone fell to the ground. The only outcome of that evening: my phone was broken."

Klopp did not elaborate on when or why the move for Rabiot fell through, simply stating, "With Rabiot, we spoke with his mother, much like with Mbappé."

The aforementioned trio is set to feature in France's starting lineup against Morocco on Thursday evening, in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final.

Jürgen Klopp's Coaching Career Milestones

Period	Club
2001 - 2008	FSV Mainz 05
2008 - 2015	Borussia Dortmund
2015 - 2024	FC Liverpool