Kylian Mbappe would prefer to move to Liverpool if he were to leave Paris Saint-Germain for the Premier League, according to Duncan Castles. 

What did he say? 

Speaking on the latest episode of The Transfer Window Podcast, Castles revealed that the 2018 World Cup winner would be tempted to move to Anfield above any other Premier League side, though joining Real Madrid appears to be the 22-year-old's target. 

"The player's preference is for other clubs," he said from 07:48 mark onwards. 

"In England, his first choice would be Liverpool were they to become involved in that recruitment process. In Spain, it's Real Madrid and I think a lot of people are waiting to see what decision Madrid make and how the other pieces of a very busy market in strikers this summer fall into place." 

Could Liverpool afford him? 

Due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's hard to suggest any club could afford Mbappe at the moment, aside from the forward opting to run his contract in the French capital down. 

While he is approaching the final year of his contract, The Athletic claimed in March that the level of his wages would make it difficult for any team in world football to afford, with even Manchester City thought to have been put off. 

What has James Pearce said about the idea of Mbappe moving to Anfield? 

Speaking on the Ornstein and Chapman Podcast in March, The Athletic's Liverpool correspondent James Pearce appeared to rule out any move for Mbappe, as well as Erling Haaland, due to the sheer scale of finance involved. 

"There is always a lot of noise around Mbappe and Haaland because people say, are Liverpool interested? Well, of course, they’re interested," he said. 

"Who in their right mind wouldn’t be interested in a striker of that calibre? But the major issue for Liverpool would be trying to make one of those kinds of deals work financially.

“And I think it’s always been the case, and I think this still stands, that the only way that Liverpool would be in the market for someone of that kind of calibre that would command those kinds of figures would be if one of the current front three was pushing for a move and there was an eye-watering offer on the table that they feel as if could be reinvested elsewhere.

“And at the moment, you know that isn’t on the table.”

And what about Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino? 

Liverpool's celebrated front three have undoubtedly struggled this season after three hugely successful years before that and, back in January, the New York Times' Rory Smith mooted an interesting theory. 

He raised the idea that the club may well have been looking to sell one of Mane or Salah this summer in an effort to raise funds to reinvest, though the pandemic changed the parameters of transfer spending, leaving them unable to make a huge signing as a replacement anyway.

Indeed, if that is the case, then Mbappe's apparent interest in Liverpool may not matter at all.