Kylian Mbappe has admitted he once turned down the chance to join three of Germany’s biggest clubs before sealing his blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking to BILD, the French superstar revealed that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig all made attempts to sign him during his early Monaco breakthrough years.
“Many clubs approached me,” Mbappe, now of Real Madrid, said. “Bayern approached me when I was a bit younger and able to leave Monaco. Dortmund also enquired. And RB Leipzig. And those are just the three clubs I remember. Maybe there were others, but I don’t remember. Everyone’s asking now, but it’s a bit too late!”
The 2017 summer window ultimately saw Mbappe join PSG on loan before completing a permanent €180m ($210.9m) transfer which turn one of the most expensive deals in football history. The move paved the way for him to become one of the game’s global icons, winning multiple Ligue 1 titles, golden boots, and the FIFA World Cup with France.
For Bayern, the missed opportunity still lingers. That summer, the Bundesliga giants opted to strengthen their attack with Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry. While Gnabry remains a key figure in Munich, Coman only left this summer for Saudi Arabia.
Borussia Dortmund instead secured a deal for Jadon Sancho, hoping he could replicate Mbappé’s meteoric rise. Sancho shone briefly before a £73m transfer to Manchester United, but at 25, he is now looking to revive his career on loan at Aston Villa.
As for RB Leipzig, their bid to land Mbappe was ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful. The French forward’s decision to join PSG reshaped European football and now, as a Real Madrid star, Mbappé’s rise looks like a story that Germany’s giants will always look back on with regret.
