Ukranian Footballer Emotionally Recounts Botched Move to Liverpool in 2014

• Yevhen Konoplyanka was one of the more promising football stars of the 2010s
• The Ukrainian nearly joined Liverpool when he was 24 back in 2014
• However, the move somehow collapsed, despite the fact that Konoplyanka was being expected at Anfield by Liverpool players including Gerrard and Martin Skrtel

Former Sevilla star Yevhen Konoplyanka recently recounted how close he was to joining Liverpool during the summer of 2014.

The Ukranian star was then 2014 years old and well in his football prime, when Liverpool started showing interest in him.

At the time, he was enjoying a hot run of form in Ukraine, having scored 13 goals in 36 appearances for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

That run of form led to European clubs expressing interest in him , and among those clubs was Liverpool, which was being managed by Brendan Rodgers at the time.

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The Reds were willing to part ways with £18 million to acquire Konoplyanka’s services, but the deal somehow collapsed when it looked like the midfielder’s arrival was imminent.

Speaking to Weszlo, Konoplyanka opened up on the desperation he had to join Liverpool, and how close he came to actually making it happen.

“I was crying”, he started.

“A delegation of serious people from Liverpool came to Dnipropetrovsk. We ate dinner."

“Martin Skrtel wrote me a message; ‘we are waiting for you’. Steven Gerrard also gave me his blessing."

“I used to go to Kolomoyskyi; ‘Please, please, please, let me go, It will make my dream come true’. I begged.

“Liverpool offered 25 million euros (£18 million). But I didn’t feel disappointed about going to Sevilla.”

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As fate would have it, Konoplyanka ended up joining Sevilla instead, and was part of the squad that ironically knocked Liverpool out of the Europa League in the 2016 final, denying Jurgen Klopp his first trophy with the club.

Part of the reason the deal collapsed, according to Dnipro CEO Andriy Stetsenko, was the fact that Liverpool and Dnipro somehow failed to agree on an exact fee for Konoplyanka.

“(Liverpool) did not agree with the figure that was asked of them. Perhaps they thought that a private jet would make some impression. That showed the seriousness of their intentions.” He explained.

Fekir on collapsed Liverpool move

In another similar incident, Nabil Fekir, who was identified as Coutinho's replacement in 2018, has recounted how his transfer to Liverpool hit the rocks

Fekir, 29, was a top transfer target for Liverpool following the departure of talisman Philippe Coutinho to Spanish giants FC Barcelona.

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However, Nabil Fekir's dream move to the Premier League on the back of a stellar campaign with Olympique Lyon will hit the snag and despite moving on to new pastures at Real Betis, Fekir is still hurt his Liverpool transfer failed to materialize.