Kylian Mbappe 'approved Liverpool transfer' before Man City stepped in and had final say

Kylian Mbappe 'approved Liverpool transfer' before Man City stepped in and had final say

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe once gave the thumbs up for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to land a player they had been chasing for years, only for Manchester City to swoop in and have the last word

Kylian Mbappe gave Jeremy Doku a glowing endorsement (Image: UEFA via Getty Images )

Back in the summer of 2023, everything looked like it was falling into place for Belgian winger Jeremy Doku to join Liverpool. Chief amongst the wheel greasing to make the switch a reality was the ringing endorsement of Kylian Mbappe himself.

Doku ultimately moved to Manchester City in August 2023. However, the Belgian's jump to the Premier League could've been with the Reds and Jurgen Klopp instead, had the Anfield side managed to outmuscle their rivals for the skilful star.

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Reports emerged in France, just prior to Doku's move to the Etihad, that Klopp held a 'strong interest' in the midfielder. His performances for Rennes were so impressive during his three-year stint there that he caught the eye of former PSG hotshot Mbappe.

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"Recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed qualities, that is Doku, at Rennes," Mbappe said in June 2021. "In five years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power."

Doku, now 23, was enjoying his most prolific season for Rennes. His form had helped the French side to a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1, securing a place in the Europa League group stage. Overall, he had netted 12 goals in 92 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, after originally starting his career in Belgium with Anderlecht.

Klopp was said to be a big fan of Jeremy Doku (Image: PA )

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Klopp's interest in the youngster was growing stronger. His desire to land the player was actually the German's second bite of the cherry too, after Doku and his father were previously invited to Merseyside back in 2017 to tour Liverpool's training facilities.

The winger's father, David, even detailed how Liverpool turned on a huge charm offensive to land his son. "Klopp explained how he saw a potential successor in Jeremy," he told Het Nieuwsblad in 2020.

"Steven Gerrard showed us videos with tactical analysis. At the training complex [Simon, former goalkeeper] Mignolet, [Sadio] Mane and [Gini] Wijnaldum came to talk to us. How we were received there – damn!"

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Yet Doku himself believed the move may have been a case of too much too soon. Via Het Nieuwsblad, he said in 2021: "I did a lot of research first, wrote down all the positive points and only then did I make a decision. I knew that I first wanted to make an intermediate step. Going to a top club now would be too soon."

Doku turned down a move to Liverpool and later joined City (Image: Getty Images )

Amid the Reds' pursuit, Doku's move to City was perhaps being subtly engineered from other quarters. The player received a telling thumbs up from his Belgian team-mate and now former City star, Kevin De Bruyne, as Pep Guardiola began to pivot his attention to the youngster.

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Speaking after the forward had scored his first international goal, De Bruyne said: "He [Doku] is nimble, fast and he can dribble. Of course, he sometimes makes a mistake, but who doesn't? He is a diamond in the rough."

City pushed their title rivals aside and secured Doku on a five-year deal for a reported £55.5million. "This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally," Doku said upon signing at the Etihad Stadium. "City are the best team in world football, so joining them is special."

Despite what could have been, it would be surprising if the Belgian had any doubts over his move. Doku clinched the Premier League title and FIFA Club World Cup under Guardiola in his first season. He has so far scored 13 goals in 82 games for the Citizens.

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