Why Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could convince Kylian Mbappe to join Liverpool instead of Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could convince Kylian Mbappe to join Liverpool instead of Real Madrid.

ESPN has claimed Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe will decide his club future in the next few weeks, with Liverpool and Real Madrid said to be the most likely destinations for the France captain.

Mbappe’s PSG contract expires in June and the player is not thought likely to trigger his option for a one-year extension. In turn, he is free to speak to other clubs about a summer move as per the Bosman rule.

Madrid have long been considered the leading contender for his signature, with the club having come close to signing the forward in May 2022, while Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp have allegedly retained an interest in the 25-year-old.

While it is unlikely that the Reds would be able to afford Mbappe’s enormous €650,000 per week (£558,920) wages the player could be convinced to move to the Premier League over La Liga and ignite a rivalry with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

Haaland and Mbappe are widely considered to be the world’s two best attackers, and the latter moving to Liverpool could see the pair emulate Messi and Ronaldo’s great rivalry.

Messi and Ronaldo, who collectively have 13 Ballon d’Ors, pushed one another to greatness while playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively over the best part of a decade.

Should Mbappe move to Liverpool, he would come across Haaland and City on a regular basis, creating fiercer competition between the players and teams, as Messi and Ronaldo had done the previous generation.

However, ESPN claim that any potential move to Liverpool would likely revolve around the future of Mohamed Salah, who was the subject of a £150million verbal offer from Saudi Arabia this summer.

Given that Mbappe reportedly wants to decide his future soon, the timing could be a major stumbling block in the Frenchman moving to Merseyside.

Furthermore, PSG are said to remain very keen on retaining Mbappe, who is the club's record goal scorer.

They allegedly believe that a good first season under manager Luis Enrique - PSG are top of Ligue 1 and into the Champions League knockout stages - will be enough to convince him to stay.