Pochettino lifts lid on Liverpool target Kylian Mbappe’s Premier League desire

Kylian Mbappe is always asking about the Premier League and regularly converses in English, according to PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The 22-year-old’s future is uncertain with the Ligue 1 giants. Mbappe’s current deal expires in June 2022 and the former Monaco man has turned a number of contract offers from the Ligue 1 champions. Cadena SER report that Mbappe has turned down three new offers from PSG, though Fabrizio Romano states the player’s priority is to re-negotiate a deal with the club.

However, there is strong interest from Real Madrid, while Liverpool too have also been linked. Funding a deal for Mbappe would not come cheap. Indeed, even with just 12 months left on his deal, the World Cup winner would still command a fee of around £150m.

Furthermore, both would-be suitors are struggling financially. Real president Florentino Perez’s plan to form a European Super League is in tatters.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have on Tuesday announced a £46m pre-tax loss for the financial year ending May 2020.

However, that has not stopped the rumours with Mbappe flying around. And the longer it takes for the player to sign a new deal, the stronger the chances are he’ll be on the move.

Mbappe will get the chance to test himself against Premier League opposition on Wednesday. His PSG side are due to face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.

And ahead of the game, Pochettino admits Mbappe is always asking him about the Premier League.

'PSG's future rests on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe deals'

Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot says the future of Paris Saint-Germain rests on whether Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both sign new long-term contracts at the club.

Kylian loves football, he loves to talk about football,” Pochettino said to The Guardian. “He asks about England – how is the game, the mentality and the culture there?

“He’s only 22 but very mature, confident in his talent and open. He can speak French, of course, but also perfect English and Spanish. I speak in English and Spanish with him – more English than Spanish. I said to him the other day: ‘I need to practise my French with you, to improve,’ and he said: ‘Sure, but it’s better for me to talk in English.’ He loves to practise different languages.”

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Pochettino reveals Champions League aim

Pochettino will be hoping for a similar outcome from his previous experience, with Tottenham, in the Champions League semi-final.

That time they famously battled back to beat Ajax and book a place in the final against Liverpool.

Having lost the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern, PSG’s Qatari owners will now hope to go one better.

“The target in the last 10 years has been to win the Champions League and the club is working really hard to try to be there and win,” Pochettino added.

“It is that last step, which is always the most difficult. If you remember at Tottenham, it was always about the last step being the most difficult thing. But Paris Saint-Germain is there and now it is about winning. I love to feel this. I love to feel that you need to win every single game.”

READ MORE: Perez uses ESL row to goad PL giants over Mbappe, Haaland