He spoke to Liverpool about joining in 2016 but is now trying to knock them out of the Champions League with PSG

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Liverpool have been drawn against French champions Paris Saint Germain in the last-16 of the Champions League.

The Reds knew they had a 50 per cent chance of facing the Parisians, with Benfica the only other option during Friday’s draw.

And while Liverpool supporters would likely have preferred to face Benfica, a fascinating tie now lies in wait in March.

PSG are having a terrific season. 10 points clear and unbeaten in Ligue 1, they are blowing teams away under manager Luis Enrique.

Leading the charge has been a rejuvenated Ousmane Dembele. The 27-year-old leads the scoring charts with 16 goals in 20 games and has laid on a further four assists, too.

And as Liverpool prepare to meet Dembele in the Champions League, it is worth looking back at just how close the Reds came to snapping the Frenchman up from Rennes in 2016.

Ousmane Dembele held talks with Liverpool

Rewind nine years to 2016 and Dembele was a precocious 18-year-old making waves with Rennes.

Having hit 12 goals in 29 games for the Ligue 1 club, Dembele was being courted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

In the end, the France international made the move to Borussia Dortmund, for whom he played for one season before completing a mammoth transfer to Barcelona.

But before all of that, Dembele admitted in an interview with Onze Mondial back in 2018 that Liverpool were one three clubs he spoke to when leaving Rennes.

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“I spoke to three clubs: Dortmund, Liverpool and Barcelona,” said the forward.

“I had a meeting with FC Barcelona. I told them ‘for next season, it won’t be possible. But the next time you contact me, I’ll come.’ And that’s what happened.”

Dembele could have shone at Liverpool

Throughout the past nine years, Dembele’s reputation has had huge peaks and troughs. But by and large, the World Cup winner has failed to deliver on his potential.

That is changing this season as Dembele has stepped out of Kylian Mbappe’s shadow to become the main man at PSG.

Had he made the move to Liverpool in 2016, though, it’s easy to see how he could have been more of an instant success.

Under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp, Dembele would surely have developed into the player who will face Liverpool in March far quicker than he ultimately did.

Then again, it may also have meant that the Reds never signed Mohamed Salah a year later. So, swings and roundabouts, really.