Jurgen Klopp has already put in the groundwork for Liverpool to sign Kylian Mbappe

Liverpool fans have begun to get excited about the prospect of Liverpool making a move for Kylian Mbappe with Nike set to take over New Balance as the kit sponsor, but it’s not the first time the club have been linked with the French superstar.

Liverpool’s seven-year deal with New Balance is set to come to an end at the end of this season and were looking to move on, with Nike their preferred choice.

New Balance brought forward a dispute regarding a matching clause with the matter being taken to the High Court.

The sportswear company had argued they retained the rights to stay as Liverpool’s sponsor if they were able to match an offer from competitors.

However, Liverpool responded by stating how New Balance couldn’t match Nike’s five-year, £30million a year offer in terms of marketing with the judge ruling in their favour.

It means Liverpool are likely to go with Nike for next season as the club’s official kit supplier and Reds fans have already begun dreaming what that could mean in terms of transfers.

And the one on everyone’s wishlist seems to be Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe, with fans even getting the hashtag #Mbappe2020 trending on Friday.

The 20-year-old is one of Nike’s leading global ambassadors, and many fans have pointed to other hints that the move isn’t as far fetched as first thought.

Earlier this summer, Daniel Sturridge posted a photo alongside Mbappe, along with a caption which read: “Serious baller K Mbappe. His mom said he used to do my celebration and he showed me so I did his too.”

He even admitted to choosing Liverpool as the team he plays with on popular video game FIFA.

Fabinho, who played alongside Mbappe at Monaco, has also previously said on record that he hopes to “slowly to convince him to come to Liverpool”.

But while a transfer to Merseyside would likely take a world-record bid, Jurgen Klopp has already put in the groundwork for a possible move.

Back in 2017, before Mbappe secured a move to PSG, the forward was the most sought-after player on the market.

Every top club in the world was working towards a potential mega move, and Klopp seemingly left a lasting impression on Mbappe.

French publication L’Equipe stated how Mbappe was “charmed by the eloquence and enthusiasm” of the Liverpool boss.

And the report went on to say how Klopp spent “several hours” trying to convince him of a move to Anfield.

Ultimately, Liverpool were unable to match the spending power of PSG.

Since then, Klopp has overseen huge progress at the club with Liverpool now the champions of Europe and looking good to secure a second straight top-two finish for the first time in the Premier League era.

Could this Nike deal give Liverpool a bigger chance of signing Mbappe? Some hopeful Kopites certainly think so.

source: express.co.uk