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Liverpool's recent successes and easily recognizable team spirit have elevated Anfield's status as a potential home for world stars. However, manager Jurgen Klopp has hardly signed an expensive player since Alisson's arrival in the 2018-19 season.
It was a short two-year period that saw Liverpool sign a good number of their brilliant starting XI. During that time, the German manager spent over €300 million revamping the squad.
His purchases of Virgil van Dijk, Allison Becker and Naby Keita individually broke Liverpool's previous transfer record when they signed Christian Benteke in 2015 (£32.5 million).
The Reds have recently added a number of trophies to their cabinet. This includes a Premier League title in 2020 and a Champions League title in 2019. Hence, it might come as a surprise that the Reds' only signing this season was Ibrahima Konate.
Many Kopites have complained about Liverpool's constant lack of transfer activity. However, many more have argued that Jurgen Klopp's insistence on team stability and spirit is more important than just purchasing players.
The higher-ups at Liverpool might be quiet on the transfer market front these days, but it wasn't always like this. The Reds once tried to garner some stars in previous transfer windows, including Loic Remy in 2014 and Gareth Barry in 2008.
Without further ado, let's take a look at
Five world-class players Liverpool almost signed in the past
#5 Dele Alli | Tottenham Hotspur
For a player who was once touted as the next Steven Gerrard, it made sense that Liverpool had their sights set on the current Tottenham star. This was back in 2015 when he was still playing for MK Dons.
Dele Alli had taken the lower leagues by storm, establishing himself as a brilliant midfielder. He garnered the interest of former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers was keen on bringing the star to Anfield, but Alli's wage demands were too high for the club to agree on. Liverpool notably viewed him as a U-21 player, rather than a first-team star, and they weren't willing to budge on the wage front. Tottenham, of course, took a chance with the star who hasn't looked back since.
#4 Gabriel Heinze | Argentine legend
The Argentine defender notably played for Manchester United and Real Madrid during the course of his career. But Liverpool were itching to get Gabriel Heinze to Anfield too. The Reds were very close to signing him from Man United. But the higher-ups at Old Trafford weren't keen on letting the star go to a rival club in the Premier League.
The issue, which caused dramatic headlines and even ended up at a tribunal, saw Heinze's potential transfer to Anfield turned upside down. Manchester United eventually sold the star to Real Madrid. Meanwhile Liverpool had to make do with Emiliano Insua, who they signed on a permanent deal as Heinze's replacement.
#3 Mario Gotze | former Borussia Dortmnd star
Mario Gotze was expected to jump at the chance to reunite with his former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp by making the move to Anfield. However, the opposite happened.
After three years at Bayern Munich, the star made the decision to go back to BVB instead in 2016. This happened even though Liverpool were interested in his signature.
In fact, reports at the time claimed the star had even met with Klopp to discuss his potential move. But he eventually decided against it, stating his hunt for the Champions League title was his reason.
“You have to imagine it like this: Where did I come from? From [Bayern] Munich, where I had reached the semi-finals in the Champions League three times with Bayern. I wanted to do that again! Liverpool finished eighth in the league. In the situation at the time, the likelihood of winning the Champions League with Borussia seemed much greater.”
#2 Dani Alves | Barcelona legend
One of the greatest right-backs in world football could have been a Liverpool player at age 23. But the Kopites have Trent Alexander-Arnold now instead, so everything turned out well. However, Dani Alves might have been a Liverpool star if former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez had agreed to match Sevilla's asking price of £8 million in 2006.
The transfer ended up falling through, with Alves staying in Sevilla for another two years until his £23 million move to Barcelona came calling. The star would go on to man the right flank during a period of football dominance and success at Camp Nou. He won every domestic and continental trophy available with the Spanish giants.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United star
Before Manchester United could tap their hands into one of the greatest players in world football, Liverpool had the opportunity to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Anfield. The Portuguese maestro had already established himself with Sporting Lisbon and was apparently keen on a move to Liverpool when the opportunity arose.
Intricate parts of the deal weren't to Liverpool's liking, including a £1 million fee to Ronaldo, and the Reds were understandably skeptical about the whole thing. However, Manchester United had no such qualms. They snatched the deal from under Liverpool's noses, paying thrice the amount Liverpool would have paid to change Ronaldo's destination to Old Trafford. The rest, as they say, is history.
