Former Liverpool target Sardar Azmoun once claimed he turned down the chance of a move to Anfield because he didn’t want to spend his time on the bench.
Bayer Leverkusen attacker Azmoun – dubbed ‘the Iranian Messi’ – was one of several players the Reds were considering way back in January 2017 as they looked to bolster their attacking options given Sadio Mane’s participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool ultimately made no new signings during the window, a decision questioned in the wake of a run of results that saw them eliminated from the FA Cup and League Cup and out of Premier League title contention.
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And Iranian international Azmoun - currently starring for his country at the World Cup in Qatar - suggested he was put off a move to Liverpool by the prospect of not being an immediate first-team regular.
“There were talks of Liverpool having expressed an interest in me during the past winter transfer window,” said the 27-year-old, who was playing at FC Rostov in Russia at the time.
“However, I did not feel the time to move was right. I would have ended up playing a few games and then spent a great deal of time on the bench as Liverpool were only looking to fill a void for a particular part of their season.
“I want to move to a big club to develop as a player and therefore I will time the move with great precision. I am sure I will be playing for a top European club in the near future.”
Azmoun eventually moved back to former club Rubin Kazan in the summer of 2017 having had interest from a number of clubs including Everton. He switched to Zenit St Petersburg in 2019 before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on a free transfer in the summer.
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