Jurgen Klopp reportedly made a personal phone call to Mainz last year in a bid to try and sign Jean-Philippe Gbamin to bolster his Liverpool squad.
Dating back to January 2018, the Merseyside giants were looking vulnerable defensively as it was undoubtedly one of their biggest weaknesses.
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Eventually, they addressed that problem with the signings of Virgil van Dijk and others to shore things up at the back, but as per the Daily Star, Gbamin’s agent, Bernard Collignon, has now revealed that Klopp phoned his former club Mainz personally to try and get a deal done for the £54m-rated ace.
“In January 2018 Klopp called Mainz and wanted to commit him as a centre-back, who also helps out in midfield.
“But Mainz did not want to let him go in the middle of the relegation battle.
“In the summer, Liverpool signed on to Fabinho.”
His agent went on to add that Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton and several other clubs have all had meetings regarding Gbamin, while adding that he believes his client is now worth €60m (£54m), as he continues to impress for Mainz.
Liverpool can be happy with things have turned out for them as their decision-making in the transfer market is paying off, but for Gbamin, it will have perhaps been a missed opportunity as he must now wait to see if another Premier League side express interest in him moving forward.
