Zidane’s public charm offensive towards Mbappe will have Liverpool on alert

Kylian Mbappe Messi TEAMtalk

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was more than happy to speak about Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland at his press conference on Friday.

In fact Zidane admitted he took great “interest” in the former’s performance in Catalonia.

Both players are tipped to be the next superstars of the game after flexing their muscles again in midweek. The attacking pair have been heavily linked with a move to Real.

It’s unlikely the LaLiga giants will be able to fund a move for both players in the next 18 months and Zidane refused to reveal his favourite.

However he did speak freely about his fellow countryman Mbappe – a fact which will surely have had Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp taking note at Liverpool.

The Premier League champions have been mentioned as England’s likeliest suitors for PSG star Mbappe.

AS have claimed that Liverpool and Real hold an interest in Mbappe. While Liverpool are reportedly looking to kit supplier Nike to help them fund a move for the France forward.

Talk of a move to Anfield for the 22-year-old has been bubbling under the surface for a while. And it is worth noting Jurgen Klopp has a “direct line” with the World Cup winner after trying to sign him in 2017.

According to Le Parisien, though, the French giants have set a minimum price tag of €200million (£173million) for the player, despite his contract expiring in June 2022.

That will not have put too many clubs off after his dazzling hat-trick against Barcelona in Spain at the Nou Camp. A day later Haaland blasted a double as Borussia Dortmund sank Sevilla 3-2.

Zidane though was focused on Mbappe and he made a point of lavishing praise on the player in his native French.

“I’m not surprised by what Mbappé did at the Camp Nou. I took pleasure in what he achieved because we know each other,” Mbappe said in news conference.
“Like I said, what I like is just watching football. I just like watching good football, good players on the pitch.

“As for the rest there is nothing to say and I will say it again in French so that it is clear for everybody, because people say ‘he says it in Spanish but not in French’.