Liverpool did not turn down the opportunity to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig last summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

It has been suggested that the Reds were offered the France international but decided against recruiting the player. However, Romano claims that Leipzig told potential suitors that the forward was not for sale as they wanted to keep him for one more season. On top of that, Liverpool had already decided that Darwin Nunez was their number one priority:

“I’m told it was impossible to sign Nkunku in the summer for any club as RB Leipzig extended his contract with a clause to sell him in 2023, not last July. Liverpool always wanted Darwin Nunez as their priority target, it was decided internally.”

The decision not to wait for Nkunku meant that Chelsea were the main beneficiary as they have agreed to pay €70m (£62m) for the forward, who will move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

From what Romano says, though, it seems that the Reds were never really in the running to sign the 24-year-old. The timing wasn’t right. They wanted to get in a new striker straight away and Nkunku simply wasn’t on the market.