Borussia Dortmund ‘almost signed 17-year-old Kylian Mbappe from Monaco for FREE in 2016’, claims former scout Sven Mislintat – a year before he became the most expensive teenager in history with £153m PSG move
- Mbappe was wanted by many European clubs when he broke through at Monaco
- BVB scout Mislintat has revealed how close the German side came to signing him
- French star signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and has been a huge success
Former Borussia Dortmund chief scout Sven Mislintat has claimed the club attempted to sign Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer while the Frenchman was at Monaco.
A teenaged Mbappe debuted for Monaco in December 2015 and scored his first goal in February 2016 – breaking Thierry Henry’s records as the youngest to do both at the club.
He was therefore one of the most coveted prospects in European football, with several continental giants including Dortmund lining up to sign him on a free.
Ex-Borussia Dortmund scout Sven Mislintat has opened up on nearly signing Kylian Mbappe
The former BVB recruiter was interested in signing Mbappe when he broke through at Monaco
Although he eventually signed a three-year professional contract at Stade Louis II in March, Mislintat revealed how close the German side came to snapping the wonderkid up for nothing.
And the ex-Arsenal head of recruitment told the Kicker meets DAZN podcast: ‘It was a real shame that we couldn’t get Kylian in.
‘Kylian Mbappe was [available] free of charge at a certain point and there were many suitors. But we had no chance of winning that [race].
The Frenchman signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and has proved a phenomenal success
‘If you had been able to steal Mbappe from Monaco for free at the time, it would of course have been a mega deal.’
Mbappe exploded onto the scene the following season, scoring 26 goals in 44 matches to help Monaco win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals under boss Leonardo Jardim.
Paris Saint-Germain then made him the second-most expensive transfer of all time and he has rewarded them with a stunning 120 goals in 160 matches, with 30 goals in all competitions so far this season, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 rout of Barcelona.
The 41-cap international has also won a World Cup with France and played in his country’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory against Kazakhstan yesterday, although he saw his second-half penalty saved.
Up next for his club he faces title rivals Lille on April 3, who currently lie second in the table, only behind Mauricio Pochettino’s side on goal difference.
Four days after that he will hope to play in the Parisians’ Champions League quarter-final first leg at Bayern Munich in a repeat of last season’s final.