The claim landed on Monday 6 October in a post on X, in which Gallardo wrote that Mbappe “is angry and disappointed with Real Madrid” and had “made the decision to leave the club in the summer of 2027, and Real Madrid is not going to stand in his way.”

Speaking separately to Defensa Central, Gallardo added that “several Premier League teams are interested in Kylian Mbappe, but the player’s priority is Liverpool. They have already contacted Fayza Lamari in recent weeks.”

The reported fee is between €200 million and €250 million. Mbappe, 27, joined Real Madrid as a free agent in 2024 and is under contract at the Bernabeu until the summer of 2029.

One journalist, loud echo

Gallardo’s reporting is the entire basis for the story so far. Neither Liverpool, Real Madrid nor Mbappe’s representatives have commented, and the Spanish reporter is not among the heavyweight transfer insiders whose claims typically force an official response.

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Defensa Central’s own line, carried alongside Gallardo’s quotes, is that Real Madrid “have no intention of letting go of one of the most important players in their squad” and that any sale would require numbers the club has not yet seen.

The Mourinho fallout

Mbappe returned to Madrid from international duty with a knee injury and almost immediately shared a video of himself cycling in Switzerland set to Michel Fugain’s “Les gentils, les mechants”. The soundtrack title was read in the Real Madrid dressing room as a dig at manager Jose Mourinho, who had warned his squad to stay off bicycles to avoid injury.

A conversation followed over breakfast on Tuesday. According to Spanish journalist Pipi Estrada, as reported by Madrid Universal, Mourinho told Mbappe:

“Outside I will defend you, here I won’t.”

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The club has publicly rejected the idea of a rift. Gallardo’s report runs with the opposite version.

Mbappe already admitted Liverpool was his mother’s choice

Mbappe himself has supplied the detail that makes the Anfield angle stick. In an interview with The Athletic on 22 September, he was asked about his near-move to Liverpool during his Monaco years.

“It was while I was playing in Monaco. I had to take a decision. And yes, I was close to Liverpool,” he said.

“My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool.”

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“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris.”

Fayza Lamari, who did not get her way then, is the person Gallardo now says Liverpool have been talking to again. Andoni Iraola was appointed Liverpool head coach in the summer, and the fee reportedly in play would place Mbappe among the most expensive signings in football history.

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