Liverpool is interested in Kylian Mbappe of PSG, so he decides to give up his loyalty bonus in order to secure a transfer out.
Liverpool is interested in Kylian Mbappe of PSG, so he decides to give up his loyalty bonus in order to secure a transfer out.
After making progress in the Carabao Cup, Europa League, and Premier League standings, Liverpool is now preparing for a challenging FA Cup matchup against Arsenal this coming weekend. It was hardly a tougher tie for the Reds to receive.
With victories over West Ham United, Burnley, and Newcastle United, along with draws against Arsenal and Manchester United, the hectic Christmas period is now behind the team as they prepare to ride this momentum into 2024. However, the games are still coming in thick and fast.
Whether or not Liverpool can make any progress in January could be a major factor in determining how well the team performs for the rest of the season. To strengthen his defense—which has been beset by injuries throughout the 2023–2024 season—Jürgen Klopp desperately needs an addition. Joël Matip is currently sidelined for an extended period of time, and players like Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté have both experienced setbacks in the past.
In the upcoming weeks, the team will be focusing on their own play and transfer activity, but they also need to be monitoring their competitors in European football. Ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup match, here is Liverpool.com‘s analysis of some of the major stories in European football right now.
Mbappé Kylian “agrees to sacrifice $87m.“
According to Caught Offside, Kylian Mbappé, a star for Paris Saint-Germain, has decided to give up a loyalty bonus valued at roughly $87 million (£69 million/€80 million) in order to support his team in Ligue 1. However, he is still free to leave the French capital this summer, and the money that was waived would effectively be compensation for not having to pay a transfer fee should he leave as a free agent.
After failing to reach an agreement on a one-year extension, Mbappé was cut from the PSG team during the summer and then reinstated for the 2023–24 season. The player received a $87 million loyalty bonus for staying with the team beyond the summer transfer window. Mbappé consented to forfeit the payment in order to get a transfer out of the team by the summer.
The 25-year-old superstar is now halfway through his contract at the Ligue 1 winner, and it’s been reported that Real Madrid and Liverpool are hoping to land one of the most prominent free transfers in the history of the sport.
Due to his contract expiring, Mbappé’s foreign clubs may now attempt to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with him. In 2022, the player expressed his admiration for Liverpool.
“I spoke with Liverpool because it’s my mother’s favorite team,” Mbappé stated in a 2021 interview with the Telegraph. “You’ll have to ask her why I have no idea! We met them five years ago, and they are a good club. They were with me in Monaco. It’s a large club.
According to Liverpool.com, signing Mbappé on a free transfer could be the best move made in the modern era because he is currently arguably the best player in the world. Although Real Madrid has been strongly mentioned as the player’s preferred suitor in recent years and is a serious contender, Liverpool should take advantage of Mbappe’s admiration for the team if a deal is possible.
“Huge striker transfer update” for Chelsea
Pere Guardiola, a co-owner of Girona, has denied reports that Artem Dovbyk is leaving the team. As of right now, Girona is tied with Real Madrid for the most points in La Liga. Dovbyk, 26, has racked up 11 goals in 16 league games this season, attracting the attention of teams like Chelsea.
According to Mundo Deportivo (translated by Sport Witness), Mauricio Pochettino was hoping to sign a deadly goal scorer in the immediate future. The speculation surrounding Dovbyk, who has the same agent as Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk, was swiftly addressed by Pep Guardiola’s brother, so the Chelsea manager will probably have to focus on other strikers during the January transfer window.
He declared, “There are no offers.” “Rumors, that’s all.” Nobody has an offer from us. Not for Aleix [Garcia] from Barcelona, not for Dovbyk from Chelsea, not for anybody. Furthermore, we don’t plan to sell to anyone. The issue is that the transfer window is incredibly popular with journalists.”
According to Liverpool.com, this will give the Reds a significant boost going forward because, despite their present difficulties, Chelsea may still be a threat to them after their significant investment in future seasons. The longer Chelsea takes to sign their preferred striker, the fewer teams Liverpool will have to face.
