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Liverpool was among the clubs to miss out on Dean Huijsen this summer when he moved from Bournemouth to Real Madrid, his father has outlined.
Huijsen was available for a fixed fee of $67 million (£50 million) because of a release clause written into his contract on the south coast. But while he could have stayed in England, he opted to move to Spain and sign for Xabi Alonso instead.
Huijsen's father, Donny, described England’s top flight as "the richest and most competitive in the world". But when offers came from Liverpool and other Premier League clubs, his son "politely declined" them all.
"We saw the opportunity of a starting spot in the Premier League, with the exciting and compelling chance of playing against top-tier strikers, starting with [Erling] Haaland, [Mohamed] Salah, and [Alexander] Isak," Huijsen senior told Tuttosport.
"A significant development path was in the offing for Dean. Many of the big names in European football wanted him, but he politely declined every offer, waiting for that team to arrive, the team of his dreams, the biggest and most fascinating: Real Madrid."
Liverpool later moved for Giovanni Leoni, the young Italian. Signed for a fee of around $35 million (£26 million) from Parma, he made his debut last week against Southampton but has suffered an ACL injury and is set to miss the remainder of the season.
Arne Slot's side was also inches away from bringing in Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. Manager Oliver Glasner put an end to that deal, however, when he couldn't source a replacement.
Joe Gomez had interest from elsewhere but ended up staying put as a result of Liverpool being unable to get Guehi over the line. Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of the season and has been strongly linked with Real Madrid.
"I think I've shown that I'm ready," Huijsen said when he was unveiled as a Real Madrid player. "I'm here to help and to win titles. I want to win everything as a player. I'm very ambitious.
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"Sergio Ramos sent me a message on the day my signing was made official. He's my biggest idol; the best center-back in history.
"I admire everything about him, he's the most complete centre-back. My first fond memory is the final of the Decima, when he scored in the last minute of added time. I was nine years old."
"I think I fit in very well with the style of football Xabi Alonso wants to play. I'm going to try to contribute as much as I can, and I'll be delighted to help."
Liverpool.com says: Huijsen would have been a perfect option for Liverpool. He has Premier League experience and is really talented. He is already a regular at Real Madrid, though, so you can't blame him for favoring that switch.
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