How Mbappé Backed Liverpool’s Move for Doku—Before City Turned Him Into a Trophy Winner
Jérémy Doku is enjoying silverware success at Manchester City, but the Belgian winger was nearly a Liverpool player—encouraged by none other than Kylian Mbappé.
Now, with a Premier League and FIFA Club World Cup already to his name, Doku’s journey highlights how close Jürgen Klopp’s side came to landing one of Europe’s fastest-rising stars.
At just 15, Doku was invited to Liverpool’s Melwood base, where he toured facilities and met first-team players such as Sadio Mané, Gini Wijnaldum and Simon Mignolet.
Club legend Steven Gerrard even presented video analysis to show where Doku would fit into the squad, and manager Jürgen Klopp reportedly viewed him as a long-term replacement for Mané.
Despite the strong interest, Doku turned down the move, later telling Het Nieuwsblad that he felt a top club would be “too soon” at that stage in his career.
Instead, he signed with Rennes, where he registered 12 goals in 92 appearances and helped the French side qualify for the Europa League in 2023.
In June 2021, Kylian Mbappé praised Doku’s explosive talent, calling him “the player who impressed me most” in terms of raw speed and power.
According to FootballTransfers.com, Klopp revived interest in Doku in 2023 after his standout Ligue 1 campaign—but their pursuit was overtaken by Manchester City, who moved swiftly.
City’s interest was further validated by Kevin De Bruyne, who described his Belgian teammate as “a diamond in the rough” after Doku netted his first international goal.
The Etihad club completed a £55.5 million deal in August 2023, with Doku signing a five-year contract.
“This is a special moment in my career. City are the best team in world football,” the winger said at the time.
Since then, Doku has flourished under Pep Guardiola. He added to his honours list yesterday, scoring Manchester City’s second goal in a 2–0 win over Wydad AC in their FIFA Club World Cup opener in Jeddah.
The 21-year-old now has a Premier League title, a Club World Cup medal, and 13 goals across 82 appearances for the club.
