Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson doesn't believe his old side can compete with Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe’s signature.
The forward has one year left on his Paris Saint-Germain contract, with him having reportedly told the French side he will not be renewing his deal with them.
The French World Cup winner has been linked with both Liverpool and Real Madrid over the past year as speculation grew about his PSG future.
However, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has often distanced himself from the speculation linking his side with the former Monaco man.
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While on deadline day, Real reportedly failed with a €200m (£171m) bid for Mbappe, having already seen offers of €160m (£137m) and €170m (£145m) plus add-ons rejected.
Mbappe is now expected to see out the final season of his deal in Paris before leaving the club for free next summer.
And in an interview with Betting Odds, Johnson believes that although the forward will be up for grabs next summer, he can’t see Liverpool managing to secure him ahead of Real.
He said: “It’s going to be a toss up amongst all the big boys isn’t it?
“Everybody is going to want him if he’s available, however I can’t see how Liverpool can compete with a big bid from Real Madrid as they’ve just saved themselves £180 million by not signing him in August.
“They’re now £180 million better off to offer him a bigger contract, so it’s hard to see how his other suitors can compete with that.
“Despite this, you don’t definitely know where he’s going to go. It could even come down to the relationships he has with certain players at other clubs who may try and turn his eye.”
