Steven Gerrard was told by former boss Rafa Benitez that he'd rather have £40m from Chelsea than keep the player at his beloved Liverpool.
The offer came after Gerrard had led the team to win the Champions League in the most unlikely and dramatic circumstances possible in Istanbul.
The Scouse midfielder drove his side back from 3-0 down at half-time against Milan to lift the trophy.
And Danny Murphy has opened up on the circumstances that followed the epic final as Gerrard was the subject of serious transfer interest from Jose Mourinho's then all-conquering Chelsea side.
He said on talkSPORT: "Rafa told Stevie he'd rather have the £40m than keep Stevie at the club.
"It put Stevie in a hell of a predicament. He didn't quite think that one through and backtracked on it. Hence the fact that he ended up staying.
"I think he apologised to him actually.
"I think he felt he had no choice at that point but the overwhelming support from the Liverpool fans and the closer it got to him leaving then the reality kicked in for him."
With Chelsea going on to win numerous trophies in the following years including several Premier League tiles, many wonder if Gerrard might harbour regrets about his decision to remain on Merseyside.
Former teammate Murphy is adamant that Gerrard's legendary stature is worth the pain of never lifting the Premier League and won't carry any serious regrets.
"No. 100 per cent no regrets.
"He might look back and think, 'Could I have done a couple of years at Real Madrid or Barcelona?', that kind of thought.
"But actually what he achieved and what he became at Liverpool...
"Steven Gerrard will always be remembered in the same way as if he won a title. It doesn't go against him for me.
"So much of that is circumstances. What Stevie achieved at Liverpool in average teams by pulling them through on his own.
"FA Cup finals, Champions League, he scored in the UEFA Cup final and the League Cup final.
"To talk about the slip is ridiculous because if he wasn't playing that year they wouldn't have been anywhere near the title.
"His legacy will last forever because he stayed at Liverpool, I'm not sure that would be the case if he had left for Chelsea."
