Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted he was "very angry" with himself after failing to sign Ajax star Dusan Tadic in the summer 2018.
Klopp made the shock confession after his team's comprehensive 3-0 victory against Ajax in Amsterdam on Wednesday evening. Tadic failed to make a meaningful impact during the game, as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott found the net.
Liverpool's win was enough to secure their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League, but Klopp's comments left Mirror Football recalling which other players the German has missed out on in the past. Here are six stars that got away from the Reds.
Dusan Tadic
There's only one place to start. "I was very angry with myself when he [Tadic] went to Ajax because I was also interested in him," Klopp told Dutch broadcaster RTL after Wednesday evening's game. "I love him as a player."
Tadic wasn't known as one of the Premier League's finest players during his four-year spell at Southampton, scoring 24 goals in 162 games. It's hard to imagine the Serb joining Liverpool now, but they were interested in signing him in the summer of 2017.
Yet a move never materialised, much to Klopp's frustration. Tadic joined Ajax instead and went on to score a whopping 38 goals during his debut season in Amsterdam (and no, that's not a typo). He's also won six trophies at Ajax - including three Eredivisie titles.
Aurelien Tchouameni
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Liverpool were after Aurelien Tchouameni's signature in the summer - and for good reason. The 22-year-old was named as Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year in 2020/21 and has already won 14 senior caps for France. He is expected to be part of their World Cup squad.
Yet the Reds missed out on Tchouameni, as he decided to leave Monaco for Real Madrid instead. It's believed the midfielder's transfer fee could rise up to €100million (£86m) with add-ons. Liverpool need a new midfielder and Klopp appeared to reference their failure to land Tchouameni in a press conference at the end of August.
"We were going for a midfielder who decided to go to another club, which can happen," he said. Liverpool's failure to land Tchouameni has proved costly, with Klopp's side languishing in eighth in the Premier League. Real, meanwhile, are top of LaLiga.
Nabil Fekir
Liverpool were on the verge of signing Nabil Fekir from Lyon in the summer of 2018 - weeks after he won the World Cup with France - before the transfer collapsed. The winger went on to sign for Real Betis the following year, where he's remained since.
"Everything was closed," recalled Fekir last year. "I passed all the interviews, I spoke with Jurgen Klopp, he told me that he loved me, we all did it and, when we were about to sign, there were problems with my representative and the negotiation broke down."
It's claimed the move collapsed due to a knee problem, despite Fekir barely missing a game for Betis since the failed transfer. He added: " They said it was because I had knee problems, but the truth has been proven over time. My knee is super good."
Julian Brandt
Reds fans will forever be thankful Julian Brandt slipped through the club's fingers. Klopp reportedly wanted to sign the Germany international from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017, but sporting director Michael Edwards preferred Roma's Mohamed Salah.
As we all know, Edwards got his way and Salah has become one of Liverpool's greatest ever players. The Egyptian has scored 166 goals in 271 games for the club and won seven trophies - including the Premier League title and Champions League.
Brandt, meanwhile, has blossomed into a good player. He joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2019 and found the net 23 times since. Yet there's no question Liverpool made the right decision when it came to deciding between the German and Salah.
Alex Teixeira
Klopp was appointed by Liverpool in October 2015 and wanted to bring Alex Teixeira to Merseyside three months later. The Brazilian was enjoying a tremendous season at Shakhtar Donetsk, scoring 22 goals in just 15 Ukrainian Premier League games.
Teixeira was interested in the move, yet Liverpool were unwilling to match Shakhtar's €50m (£38m) price tag. That what a huge amount at the time, as it was before Neymar's £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 inflated the market.
Liverpool's interest in Teixeira coincided with the rise of the Chinese Super League. Clubs were dishing out huge sums of money to sign top European-based players and Teixeira was snapped up by Jiangsu Suning. The Reds had lost the bidding war.
"I am a normal, smart guy so why should I throw away money?" said Klopp. "We have money but we are not in Disneyland and say, 'Come on, take what you want'."
Ben Chilwell
It's hard to imagine Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell in a red shirt, yet a move nearly materialised in the summer of 2016. Liverpool were interested in signing the now 25-year-old from Leicester - just weeks after the Foxes' shock Premier League title triumph.
"My agent was the one dealing with it all, talking to Liverpool and Leicester about the situation," said Chilwell in 2019. "At the time, I was trying to break into the U21 team at Leicester - so I was just focused on getting into that and progressing into the first team."
In the end, Liverpool were put off by Leicester's £10m price tag. That may seem a snip now, but Chilwell hadn't even made his Premier League debut. He later became one England's best left-backs and moved to Chelsea in a £50m deal in the summer of 2020.
Liverpool won't have any regrets, though, as they signed Andy Robertson from Hull 12 months later. The Scot has since become a key part of Klopp's iconic Reds team - playing more than 200 games and twice being named in the PFA Team of the Year.
