'Reds target admits turning down Liverpool last summer, but would have accepted offer closer to transfer deadline'

The ex-Feyenoord manager, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp at the start of the 2024/25 season, has successfully transformed Liverpool into an offensive powerhouse, consistently finding the back of the net with his tactical adjustments.

But keeping goals out at the other end has also been a huge bonus, with Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher both playing their part in helping Liverpool to what looks like a certain Premier League title come May.

Ligue 1 star says he 'turned down' chance to join Liverpool

So why would you then, for all of the reasons listed above, turn down a move to Anfield when excitement on Merseyside seems higher than ever?

Although questions are yet to be answered when it comes to the future of a few players in particular, surely anyone in the right frame of mind would jump at the chance to sign for Slot and play under him?

For former Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, however, he decided a move to England and more precisely, Liverpool, was not to be in the summer of 2024.

It has emerged that the 32-year-old was offered the chance to sign for the Reds but opted against the idea.

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"Did I say no to becoming Liverpool's number 2? Yes, in June, I said no," Lopes told Foot Mercato. "I'll be very clear: I didn't have that option in mind at all. I told myself that I had to keep playing, that I had fire in my legs, and that I couldn't put my bum on the bench, even if it was at Liverpool, Bayern, or elsewhere.

"But I'll be very clear: if this offer had come at the end of August, just before the end of the transfer window, I would have accepted it, I would have left and I would have shut my mouth." Today, Lopes hopes to make a splash at Nantes, which he joined this winter.

In FourFourTwo's view, Liverpool's goalkeeping department looks pretty set beyond the summer, with Valencia shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join the club in July 2025.

Liverpool are back in Premier League action on Wednesday as they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park.