Duje Caleta-Car confirms January offer from Liverpool was received

Add as preferred source on Google

Duje Caleta-Car has told RMC Sport that he did receive an offer from Liverpool during the January transfer window.

The Marseille central defender was wanted by the Reds to solve their ongoing injury crisis. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all out with long-term problems.

Caleta-Car arrived in France from Salzburg in 2018 and has quickly established himself as one of the country’s top defenders.

This season he has made 21 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, with 78 being made since arriving at the club.

Liverpool ultimately couldn’t do a deal for the player and instead turned their attentions elsewhere. Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies arrived from Schalke and Preston respectively.

Now, two weeks on from the transfer window closing, Caleta-Car has claimed he did receive an offer from Liverpool.

He told RMC Sport: “I was really happy to receive an offer from them. Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world. It could have been a big step in my career but I’m good at Marseille, which is a great club. We will see what can happen.

“It was an honour for me to know that such a club wanted me. We decided that I was going to stay.”

TBR View: Could Liverpool return for Caleta-Car in the summer?

They probably could but whether they will remains to be seen, with Liverpool likely to target a number of players in the summer.

A bigger name could be sought and there is a notion that suggests the champions targeted the Croatian due to desperation.

That’s nothing against the £50,000-a-week performer but if a bigger name was available, the Reds would probably prefer that option.

Caleta-Car looks a very solid defender and at 24 he certainly fits the profile of a player Jurgen Klopp might look to sign.

With Champions League qualification far from guaranteed next season, Liverpool will need to ensure they get their business right in the summer.