- Ousmane Dembele explains how he could have joined Liverpool
- Forward was contacted by Reds prior to 2016 move to Borussia Dortmund
- Frenchman was also targeted by Barcelona, who signed him a year later
- SEE MORE: Liverpool make contact over deal for defensive midfielder – reports
Liverpool fans never tire of hearing about the European stars the club has missed out on signing over the years – not.
Ousmane Dembele is the latest to put himself in that discussion, admitting that he had the chance to sign for Liverpool in 2016 prior to his eventual move to Borussia Dortmund.
The Frenchman marked one of world football’s most exciting prospects at the time, luring interest from across the continent and namely from the likes of Barcelona.
Having rebuffed the Catalan giants’ interest at the time, Dembele joined Dortmund for £13million before eventually sealing a switch to the Nou Camp in 2017.
It feels less frustrating to have missed out on the 20-year-old whilst watching £36.9million Mohamed Salah flourish beyond belief in the Premier League.
Dembele told Onze Mondial: “I spoke to three clubs (when leaving Rennes). Dortmund, Liverpool and Barcelona. I had an appointment with FC Barcelona. I told them, ‘For next season, it will not be possible’.”
An approach for the forward serves as no surprise given Jurgen Klopp’s previous ties with the Bundesliga club and the interest he has expressed in his former players.
The German is expected to revert to his old team as a source of another possible marquee signing in the form of Christian Pulisic.
Having embarked on a remarkable rise at both domestic and international level during the early stages of his career, the 19-year-old has been marketed as Europe’s next big-money commodity.
Pulisic currently holds records as the youngest U.S. men’s national team scorer in modern history, the youngest non-German Bundesliga scorer and youngster American Champions League scorer – to name but a few.
The teenage starlet has been identified as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho on the basis of his attacking flair and creativity on the ball.
He is also displaying signs of generating a similarly eye-watering fee to that of the Brazilian, with rumours suggesting Pulisic could be available for around £90million.
Liverpool will be keen to come out on top this time in another tightly-contested battle for one of European football’s brightest talents.