Speaking as a pundit for Magenta TV ahead of France's World Cup quarter-final win over Morocco, the former Liverpool manager said the Reds had chartered a private jet in their pursuit of the then-Monaco forward, now 27 and playing for Real Madrid.
He described a flight from Blackpool to Nice, where "the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something." Mbappe is represented by his mother, who runs a consulting company for professional footballers.
"We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food," Klopp said pitchside. He explained the club had not wanted to be seen holding talks, flying in circles rather than landing to avoid attracting attention - but the meeting ultimately came to nothing.
"We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris," Klopp said.
Mbappe went on to join PSG on a loan deal that summer, with an option to make the move permanent for 180m euros (£153m), which was later triggered. He spent seven years in the French capital, becoming the club's all-time record goalscorer, before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024.
Klopp, 59, spent nine years at Liverpool, winning the Champions League and Premier League before stepping down in 2024. He is widely expected to be appointed as the next head coach of the German national team, adding an intriguing subplot to his punditry work at this summer's World Cup, where he has been a regular pitchside presence for Magenta TV throughout the tournament.
The story adds colour to one of the more infamous transfer sagas of the past decade, given Mbappe's subsequent rise to become one of the sport's biggest names. Liverpool, competing in the Champions League and challenging domestically under Klopp at the time, were seen as a genuine contender for Mbappe's signature before Monaco ultimately did business with PSG instead.
Klopp's admission underlines just how seriously the club pursued the France captain, even if the elaborate effort - complete with private jet and an in-flight meal - ultimately proved fruitless.