Liverpool were interested in signing defender Aymeric Laporte prior to him signing for Manchester City - according to a new report.
The Frenchman had gained a reputation of one of Europe's top ball-playing centre-backs during his time at Athletic Bilbao.
Therefore, he was an attractive option to plenty of clubs including Liverpool , according to reports.
Goal report that Laporte was high on Jurgen Klopp's list of transfer targets prior to signing Virgil Van Dijk alongside Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
However, the Reds dropped their apparent interest in Laporte as a result of City 's long standing interest in the defender.
Bilbao also demanded that the player's release clause to be paid in full and in one payment which were said to be seen as obstacles to the deal.
Liverpool eventually completed the signing of Van Dijk from Southampton for £75m while Laporte eventually joined Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
Laporte has since developed into a crucial player for the Blues, helping them become the first team in England to ever win the domestic treble.
City were dealt a massive blow recently when it was revealed the defender would miss six months of action due to requiring knee surgery to fix an injury sustained against Brighton.
Asked how long the defender would be out for, Guardiola said: "Long. Five months, six months. Next year for sure, January, February."
