Liverpool reportedly made the biggest contract offer to Bayern Munich’s David Alaba before he decided to join Real Madrid.
The Austrian is leaving Germany as a free agent at the end of this season.
There were numerous clubs fighting for his signature, but the player chose to join the La Liga champions.
However, Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that it was in fact Liverpool that made the biggest contract offer to the player.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano said: “Many clubs were interested in Alaba and tried to hijack the deal.
“I have to say that the biggest bid came from Liverpool. Liverpool wanted Alaba.
“Towards the end of January and the start of February, they were trying to convince the player but he always had a dream of playing in Spain, and in particular at Real Madrid.”
Romano stated that Alaba will be paid €12m net per season at the Bernabeu.
Liverpool’s Alaba push interesting
The fact that Liverpool were prepared to offer David Alaba such a big contract is very interesting.
He was clearly going to be a starter if the club was prepared to pay him over €12m per year.
So that begs the question – where did Liverpool see him fitting in?
Alaba had been a world-class left-back for the better part of a decade before becoming a regular at centre-back last season.
He has played quite a bit in central midfield and even as a No 10 for his country.
It is possible that this versatility was a key reason for wanting to sign him. Alaba could have filled numerous roles in the side.
But, as we say, there was surely one position in mind for him.
There was little chance of him ever dislodging Virgil van Dijk in the left-sided centre-back position. Perhaps Klopp believed that van Dijk could be shifted over to the right, but it is unlikely.
Similarly, Andy Robertson is probably the best left-back in the world, so Alaba was not going to take his spot either.
It is possible that the club saw him as a Gini Wijnaldum replacement in midfield. But would to coaches go for a player that has not played there regularly throughout his career?
The chances are we will never know exactly what Liverpool’s plan was for Alaba.