Someone in Brendan Rodgers notorious Liverpool transfer committee turned down the option to bid for Virgil van Dijk.
According to a report in the Glasgow based Evening Times Rodgers made enquiries about the defender when he was at Groningen and Celtic.
Celtic paid £2.5m for van Dijk in 2013, sold him to Southampton for £10m two years later with Saints expecting to sell the defender for at least £50m in the summer.
When Rodgers took charge at Liverpool the club created a Transfer Committee to identify and recruit potential signings.
The former Swansea boss was part of the committee but other criteria came into play before the club would make a move in the market.
Recalling the process Rodgers said: “When I was at Liverpool I asked about van Dijk and he was at Groningen and then at Celtic but I was told he wouldn’t be for us at the time.”
Liverpool are among the clubs that have been linked with the Southampton defender but they’ll have to pay top dollar in terms of a transfer fee and wages.
Chelsea and Manchester City are also expected to be involved in the bidding and are expected to put together bigger packages than Jurgen Klopp’s side.