Mbappe Says He Spoke with Liverpool before Signing PSG Extension

Paris Saint Germain's Kylian Mbappe poses with a PSG jersey after his press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 23 May 2022. (EPA)
Paris Saint Germain's Kylian Mbappe poses with a PSG jersey after his press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 23 May 2022. (EPA)
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Mbappe Says He Spoke with Liverpool before Signing PSG Extension

Paris Saint Germain's Kylian Mbappe poses with a PSG jersey after his press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 23 May 2022. (EPA)
Paris Saint Germain's Kylian Mbappe poses with a PSG jersey after his press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 23 May 2022. (EPA)

Kylian Mbappe said Liverpool were one of the clubs he spoke to before deciding to extend his stay at Paris St. Germain, and that he had also met with the Premier League side in 2017 when he was still at Monaco.

Mbappe had been widely tipped to join Real Madrid this summer but stunned the Spanish champions by signing a contract extension until 2025 with PSG last week.

Juergen Klopp said earlier this month that Liverpool were interested in Mbappe and the player said there had been some contact.

"We talked a little bit, but not too much," Mbappe told the Daily Telegraph. "I talked to Liverpool because it's the favorite club of my mum, my mum loves Liverpool. I don't know why, you will have to ask her.

"It's a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It's a big club. Of course, it was between Real Madrid and Paris St. Germain in the end."

Liverpool and Real will meet in Paris on May 28 in the Champions League final.



'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."