Liverpool came very close to signing Jeremy Doku when he was just 15 years old, according to Reds expert Neil Jones in his latest column for the Daily Briefing.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for this piece, Jones heaped praise on Doku for his superb impact since joining Manchester City from Rennes this summer, and admitted that there has been past interest from Liverpool.
Doku looks like he could have been an exciting addition for the Merseyside giants, but it seems he wasn’t keen on the move at the time, despite going to the club’s Melwood training centre and meeting with Jurgen Klopp and some of the players.
The Belgium international will now be up against Liverpool for City this weekend when the two sides meet in the Premier League’s big game at the Etihad Stadium, and Klopp and co. may be left wondering what could’ve been, especially if he has another good game for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Discussing Doku’s past LFC links, Jones said: “Liverpool will be up against perhaps the most exciting player in the Premier League this weekend. Jeremy Doku has been sensational since joining Manchester City, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Co. will have their work cut out trying to stop the Belgian star.
“Doku was linked quite regularly to Liverpool during his time at both Anderlecht and Rennes, and I understand he was close to moving to Anfield as a 15-year-old. He has revealed himself that he was shown around the training ground (then Melwood) and that he had conversations with Jurgen Klopp and some senior Reds players, but chose to stay at Anderlecht.
“That was Liverpool’s chance, because once Doku was into the first team at Anderlecht, and once he had moved on to Rennes, it was never likely that he would move to Merseyside.
“The Reds have consistently targeted attacking players of a similar profile – versatile, aged between 22 and 25, with 150+ senior games under their belt and with a proven output in terms of goals and assists. That’s what they were prepared to pay big money for with the likes of Nunez, Diaz, Gakpo and Jota, and before that Salah and Sadio Mane, and it has brought them plenty of success. They certainly haven’t struggled for talented left-sided forwards in recent years.
“A club like City is much more likely to take a big-money punt on someone like Doku. The good news for Pep Guardiola is it looks like the punt is going to pay off, big time. Liverpool won’t regret missing out on him last summer, but they may regret their failure to turn his head back in 2017…”