Raheem Sterling was interested in re-joining Liverpool before his move to Chelsea.
Sterling, 28, joined the Blues from Manchester City in a £50million deal last July. The England international was always expected to complete a summer transfer after seven years at the Etihad, but a return to Merseyside never reached the gossip columns.
It is now claimed that Sterling was actually keen on re-joining the Reds, the club he left for City in July 2015.
He was also interested in a move abroad, but a transfer did not materialise and it is said a transfer to Stamford Bridge was his only realistic option.
The new revelations have been released by The Athletic, who claim Sterling was 'dead-set' on leaving the Etihad last summer before entering the final year of his contract. There was a lot of speculation about his future, but few rumours were actually concrete.
It is claimed a move to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool was never on the cards for Sterling, who was 'open' to re-joining the Reds. There is a chance the forward would still be at the Etihad, perhaps unhappy, if he did not join Chelsea.
The idea of Sterling re-joining Liverpool is difficult to imagine following his move to City. The Reds offered Sterling a new contract to stay on Merseyside and appeared to force a move to the Etihad - leading to criticism from Liverpool legends.
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"I'm not happy with all that carry-on," said Gerrard in the summer of 2015. "He needs to go in and see the owners. You don't have to throw in illness, or refuse to go on tour. There are millions of Liverpool fans waiting to see Raheem pull on a Liverpool shirt.
"It looks very disappointing from where I'm sitting. The fans have shown him great support, they want him to stay and I believe that he should too."
Graeme Souness, meanwhile, added: "He's far from being the finished article. He should stay at Liverpool, learn his trade and get on with it... It looks like he's turning his back on them [Liverpool fans] which, if he is, would be very sad for the football club."
It is easy to see why Liverpool wanted to keep hold of Sterling. He almost helped them win the Premier League title during the 2013/14 campaign - when they finished just behind City - and was named the Golden Boy in 2014. In the end, City signed him for £49m.
Sterling's move to City was a huge success. He scored 131 goals in 339 games and won 10 major honours - including four Premier League titles. He also featured in the 2021 Champions League final, which Pep Guardiola's side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Porto.
Sterling also picked up plenty of individual honours during his time at the Etihad. The three-time Premier League Player of the Month was named the Football Writers' Association's (FWA) Footballer of the Year at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
