Joe Gomez insists he takes transfer rumours "with a pinch of salt" after ignoring speculation to sign a new five-year deal at Liverpool.
The 25-year-old defender agreed to continue his footballing journey on Merseyside despite a lack of minutes last season. He played just eight Premier League games under Jurgen Klopp and is coming towards a point in his career where he needs to play regularly.
Gomez has suffered serious knee, leg and ankle injuries during his time at Liverpool and has only wracked up 166 club appearances to date with his most recent England cap coming in 2020. He was linked with a summer transfer but didn't receive a concrete offer.
Real Madrid were reportedly monitoring the player's situation with Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa showing an interest earlier in the summer. But speaking to the Liverpool ECHO, Gomez has revealed putting pen to paper on a long-term deal was his only thought.
"I can’t dispute I heard about these rumours, but until things are concrete with my representatives, I take it all with a pinch of salt," he said. "Any interest is flattering.
"But I don’t really see it like as that much of a distraction because until I make my decision, the external noise is just that – external. Once I got my head around what I wanted to do, my signing is me understanding the challenge and wanting to rise to it."
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Gomez went on to say: "I can understand why people would have thought I’d be considering moving on, for sure, 100 per cent. It’s apparent from my age now and based on my opportunities in the past, there was definitely still a decision for me to make.
"I guess you could see it at as a crossroads, but speaking to the club, I knew it was an important decision for me to make. Fundamentally, the opportunity that I have here and the platform and the chance to be at this club is one that is hard to walk away from. Essentially, it was me accepting the fact I have got to take on the challenge."
Klopp has several centre-backs at his disposal - including Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate - but insists Gomez is part of his plans. "Joe is outstanding - an outstanding centre-half and an even better boy," Klopp told reporters in March.
"He is good, but of course it is not the situation he would have wished for. He was injured for a really long time and then he comes back and thinks, 'OK, I'm ready, let's go' and then we have the situation where the three others could start earlier, could gain rhythm and stuff like this, game after game."
Klopp added: "He is a top-class player, he is not an inch worse than all the other three who are playing but the other three have rhythm, that's why they play more often. That's a little bit the problem we have, but at a club with our aims and ambitions, it can happen. It will not last forever, but so far it happened like this."
Gomez joined Liverpool from Charlton in the summer of 2015 following an impressive first season in the Championship, making 21 league appearances. He made his senior England debut in 2017, winning 11 caps to date.
