‘Liverpool could still sign Haaland or Mbappe this summer’

David Lynch

• Updated: 17 May 2021 17:38 BST
• 2 min read

Liverpool will still be an attractive proposition for players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe this summer even if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

That is the view of former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who believes players will still be enticed by opportunity to play under Jurgen Klopp.

This season’s Champions League top scorer Haaland is reportedly going to be on the market for £100m this summer as Borussia Dortmund look to cash in.

The man in second place in that scoring chart, Mbappe, could also be available for a relatively cut-price fee as he enters the final year of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.

And Ferdinand is of the opinion that Liverpool could be in the mix for either player even if a campaign defined by injuries ends with them outside the top four.

“I think it’s a blip,” the Englishman told BT Sport. “His biggest challenge will be to pick these players up and rebuild them.

“It took them three or four years to build this confidence. After building such fear in opponents to now teams swaggering into Anfield.

“I think, given the last couple of years, they’ve had two Champions League finals back-to-back, I think people will still go there with the mindset that they can get back.”

Champions League 2020-21

Asked whether Haaland and Mbappe could even be convinced to head to Merseyside, Ferdinand responded: “I think they would, yeah.

“Someone like Mbappe looks at the way Liverpool play and the manager. You look at the quality of players they’ve got there and the manager.

“Is that the type of manager you’d want to play for? Klopp still is, yeah.”