Liverpool’s excellent start to the season will have the Anfield faithful dreaming of more silverware as Jurgen Klopp has certainly proved that the 2022/23 campaign was a mere blip.
The Reds finished fifth in the Premier League, but it was only a late revival which saw them come close to qualifying for the Champions League, while they failed to defend either the FA Cup or League Cup in what was a season of regression.
It was evident that Klopp’s side needed a makeover, especially with regard to his midfield area. Out went five midfielders as the German lowered the average age of his squad by signing players such as Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, and it has been a success so far.
The Reds currently sit in fourth place in the league table, just three points off leaders Tottenham Hotspur, and they have lost just one match throughout the whole season.
There is no reason why the Merseyside outfit can't challenge for another league title during Klopp’s leadership and much could depend on whether he adds any more players to his squad during the January transfer window.
Liverpool transfer news – Kylian Mbappe
Although the midfield area needed rejuvenised during the summer, Klopp failed to sign either a defender or attacker in the window, placing trust in the players he already had at his disposal.
Could this change in the coming months, however?
An update has revealed that Liverpool are hoping they can secure a stunning move for Kylian Mbappe once his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires at the end of the current season.
According to French news outlet L’Equipe, the Reds have never broken contact with the PSG sensation since trying to sign him in 2017 – the same year he moved to the capital from AS Monaco.
Mbappe’s future looked uncertain during the summer as he was made to train with the B side after a fallout with the club, while Saudi side Al-Hilal reportedly made a world record £257m bid to secure his services, yet he remained at PSG for the 2023/24 season.
It would be an incredible signing to lure the former Monaco starlet to Liverpool, especially with Real Madrid looking like they are favourites to land the wonderkid when he eventually does leave Paris.
The 24-year-old is currently valued at €136m (£118m) according to Football Transfers and while the Reds could technically secure him for nothing if he doesn’t extend his contract at PSG, that looks highly unlikely.
Klopp may need to splash the cash in order to sign one of the best players in the world, but it would be worth it.
The stats that show why Kylian Mbappe would be a good signing for Liverpool
Since enjoying a wonderful breakthrough season at Monaco during 2016/17, where he scored 26 goals across all competitions, the Frenchman has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the very top of the game.
A move to PSG was the natural choice for him six years ago, and he has become the poster boy for the capital side, winning six Ligue 1 titles during his stint with the club so far while netting 224 goals, all before he has turned 25.
Remarkable numbers from the generational talent, while his impact on the world stage has been incredible, becoming the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score in a World Cup final five years ago as France won their second-ever world title.
He came so close to securing back-to-back titles in Qatar last year, but Lionel Messi and his Argentina side were always destined to end their 36-year drought.
His displays for club and country have drawn endless praise and during PSG’s win over Real Madrid in 2022, Carlo Ancelotti lauded him, saying: “Mbappe is the best player in European football.
“Mbappe is unstoppable, we have tried to control him. [Eder] Militao has done very well, but he is a player who always invents something.”
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Having already scored 251 club career goals and grabbing a further 115 assists across just 332 matches, there is no doubt he could significantly bolster Liverpool’s attacking options.
Indeed, if Mbappe did make the move to Merseyside, he would be an upgrade on Darwin Nunez, as the Uruguayan would have to make do with a spot out wide or drop to the bench in order for Klopp to utilise the Frenchman in his favoured role.
How Kylian Mbappe compares to Darwin Núñez
The former Benfica forward struggled for consistency last season, yet he has hit the ground running in 2023/24, scoring seven times and grabbing five assists in just 14 matches as he looks to finally showcase his true talents.
As good as this is, Mbappe is still outshining him during the current campaign. The Frenchman has 12 goals and one assist across 13 games thus far, while he has also registered more key passes per game (1.9 vs 0.6), more shots on target per game (2.1 vs 1.1) and completed more successful dribbles per game (2.1 vs 0.3), highlighting how impressive he has been in Ligue 1.
When compared to positional peers, the PSG maestro currently ranks in the top 3% for shot-creating actions (4.72), the top 1% for progressive carries (4.89) and the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area (9.02) per 90, indicating how much of an attacking threat he really is.
In contrast, Nunez ranks in just the top 18% for shot-creating actions (2.97) while ranking in the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area (7.86) and the top 4% for progressive carries (3.19) per 90 when compared to his peers, demonstrating that Mbappe has the edge over him across all three metrics.
Nunez has certainly come out of his shell this season, yet Mbappe would be a major upgrade on the 24-year-old and would surely take Liverpool to the next level.
It would be a dream signing for Klopp and his side and would signify that the club are among the elite, yet luring Mbappe to the north-west of England could prove to be a challenge.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager loves a challenge however and if there is a chance of signing the French superstar, then he will give it a go.