Liverpool Fans Get #Mbappe2020 Trending But Reds Have a Different Transfer Focus

​Liverpool confirmed a new multi-year kit deal with Nike on Tuesday morning and within hours excited Reds fans had managed to get #Mbappe2020 trending on Twitter as they expressed hope of signing the Nike-sponsored superstar this coming summer.

There are few players in world football who can make this current Liverpool team any better, but Kylian Mbappe is arguably one of them.

Liverpool have been linked with the 2018 World Cup winner, who recently celebrated his 21st birthday, for several months. It was even rumoured not long ago that he would be the club’s ‘ultimate ambition’ in the transfer market were a deal ever to be viable.

From a footballing perspective it would be an obvious choice. But while Jurgen Klopp praised Mbappe’s ability, the Reds boss also ruled it out because of the prohibitive cost.

“From a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign him. What a player he is. But it is about the money of course. Absolutely no chance. Sorry for killing that story,” he said.

Fast forward five weeks and Liverpool fans are dreaming afresh because of the Nike deal.

However, the likelihood of Mbappe rocking up at Anfield remains incredibly slim.

Just 24 hours before the Nike announcement, David Ornstein of The Athletic, explained why Mbappe is not going to be wearing a Liverpool shirt at any point in the foreseeable future.

Ornstein wrote that Liverpool generally have little interest in marquee transfer deals like Mbappe, or fellow rumoured target Jadon Sancho. They are not willing to sanction the spending it would take, while the club doesn’t wish to buy anyone who would expect guaranteed starts.

The more likely Liverpool transfer focus looking ahead is more players like £7.25m January acquisition Takumi Minamino, who made his debut against Everton in the FA Cup.

It is also pointed out that even the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were not superstars when they first arrived and the Reds intend to keep sourcing players on a similar upward trajectory, rather than an established marquee name.

Spending big on Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker were exceptional cases for specific key positions that were crucial to the team structure. But Mbappe does not fall into that category.

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