A football agent has claimed Bobby Duncan rejected Manchester United ahead of his move from Liverpool to Fiorentina.
And he also believes the former Reds youngster could be "the new Pogba".
The 18-year-old striker sealed a permanent transfer to Italy this week.
It followed days of controversy sparked by Duncan's representative Saif Rubie, who posted a slew of allegations against Liverpool and sporting director Michael Edwards on social media.
The allegations - firmly rebuffed in a statement released by the club - claimed Duncan was being forced to stay at Anfield against his will.
Liverpool then concluded a transfer deal with Rubie apparently bypassed in the negotiations.
Terms were struck with Rob Segal, who was Duncan's registered agent at the time of his earlier move when he joined the Reds from Man City.
But now another agent, Vincenzo Morabito, has insisted he was part of the latest Duncan deal.
And he has told the Daily Mail that the youngster dismissed overtures from United.
Morabito said: "The boy did not want to betray Liverpool and said no to United who insisted so much with him."
He also suggested there was an option for Duncan to go to Lazio, and made the more outlandish claim that the teenager can follow in Paul Pogba's footsteps over in Serie A.
Morabito added: "He may be the new Pogba. Fiorentina has made a deal and Liverpool have lost one of the five best English products in the recent history of the Premier League."
It seems, however, that his words should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt.
The ECHO understands that Liverpool were not aware of any interest from United.
While Saif Rubie was seemingly not involved in the transfer negotiations, he was pictured with his client Duncan when the youngster sealed his switch to Fiorentina.
And on Tuesday, Rubie released a further statement that said: "To be in the top 1% you have to be prepared to do what 99% of the rest won't do.
"In my line of work I know nobody even comes near. Not everything in life is black and white and you have to be able to adapt and roll with the punches.
"Now @bobbyduncan has the opportunity to live and experience something not many young English players have done."
Also on Tuesday, Fiorentina posted a video on Twitter to celebrate all of their new first-team arrivals - but they did not include Duncan.
