Jurgen Klopp missed out on Liverpool transfer target he wanted before Sadio Mane
Liverpool held talks with World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele in 2016 with Jurgen Klopp pushing for a deal, it has been revealed.
The Reds were on the hunt for an addition to their frontline ahead of the German’s first full campaign at Anfield. Dembele was fresh off the back of a scintillating season with French side Rennes having scored 12 goals and notched five assists.
According to L’Equipe, Dembele met with Klopp in Paris alongside his representatives for talks regarding a potential switch to Anfield. However, Liverpool were not the only side in the running for his services at the time.
It is detailed that Austrian giants RB Salzburg had previously invited the winger to look at their facilities. They had lodged a €4m (£3.46m) bid for his services prior to his breakout campaign, only for Rennes to turn down the offer.
Dembele was eventually on the move. German side and Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund swooped in with €15m (£12.9m) deal for his services.
The Frenchman continued his brilliant showings at the Westfalenstadion as he plundered ten goals and 22 assists in his solitary campaign before a big-money switch to Spanish side Barcelona. He endured an injury-hit stint at the Camp Nou before returning to France this summer in a move to PSG.
During that time, Dembele was constantly linked with a move to the Premier League. Speaking in May 2018, Klopp was asked whether his side were eyeing him and jokingly replied: “Is he on the market? Now I’m interested.”
Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporte confirmed that Dembele had received an offer to move to the Premier League in January 2022 but stopped short of confirming whether Liverpool were the club interested. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, he said: “Different solutions
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