Liverpool came within a whisker of signing Jeremy Doku when he was just 15 years old, according to Reds expert Neil Jones in his latest Daily Briefing column.
Jones, who spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for this piece, praised Doku for his outstanding impact since joining Manchester City from Rennes this summer, and admitted that Liverpool has previously expressed interest.
Doku appears to be an exciting addition for the Merseyside giants, but it appears he wasn’t interested in the move at the time, despite visiting the club’s Melwood training facility and meeting with Jurgen Klopp and some of the players.
The Belgium international will now face Liverpool for City in the Premier League’s big game at the Etihad Stadium this weekend, and Klopp and co. may be left wondering what could’ve been, especially if he has another good game for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Jones said of Doku’s previous Liverpool connections, “Liverpool will be up against perhaps the most exciting player in the Premier League this weekend.” Jeremy Doku has been a revelation since joining Manchester City, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and his teammates will have their work cut out for them if they are to stop the Belgian star.
“Doku was linked to Liverpool on a regular basis during his time at Anderlecht and Rennes, and I understand he was close to joining the club as a 15-year-old.” He has admitted that he was shown around the training ground (then Melwood) and spoke with Jurgen Klopp and some senior Reds players, but he chose to stay at Anderlecht.
“That was Liverpool’s chance, because once Doku was in the first team at Anderlecht, and then to Rennes, he was never going to 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…”
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