Liverpool were prepared to make a bid for Son Heung-min this summer but Arsenal ruined their plans, according to football.london.
Son is one of the Premier League's finest forwards, and would make it into any team in Europe. And now that Sadio Mane is set to leave Liverpool this summer, Son would be high up on Jurgen Klopp's ideal replacements.
And with Liverpool anticipating the exit of either Mane or Mohamed Salah, they were preparing a big-money move for the South Korean star. However, Liverpool were hoping that Tottenham would miss out on the Champions League to strengthen their chances, but Arsenal's late collapse has ruined their plans.
Klopp has been a fan of Son for a long time, and the South Korean was starting to make a name for himself in the Bundesliga while the current Liverpool boss was in charge of Borussia Dortmund. Klopp and Son have been seen chatting on various occasions when Liverpool have played Tottenham, and potential moves may have even been discussed.
And Liverpool were reportedly readying a huge bid for Son this summer, but due to Tottenham's rise under Conte, and Arsenal's failure to keep them out of the top four, their plans have been ruined. That's not to say that they would have been successful, as Son as seen as one of their most valuable players, alongside Harry Kane.
Tottenham even signed Son to a new four-year deal earlier this season, meaning that they may have demanded a Premier League record fee to let him go. But it seems that Liverpool have been stopped from even testing the waters due to Arsenal's late collapse.
With just three games left in the Premier League season, Arsenal held the advantage in the race for the top four. They faced Tottenham, and could have wrapped up their Champions League spot with a win.
But they crumbled after an early Rob Holding red card, and lost 3-0 to their north London rivals. However, it was still in their hands, and if they had beaten Newcastle in their penultimate game, it would have meant that they just had to match Tottenham's result on the final day to secure fourth.
But again, they lost, and to make matters worse it was due to a masterclass from Bruno Guimaraes who they had tried to sign in January. That then meant that they'd have to beat Everton and hope that Tottenham lost to Norwich, but it was too late.
Instead, Tottenham secured top four and Son shared the Golden Boot award with Salah, as he became the first ever Asian player to win the trophy. Son will now look forward to a new season with Tottenham, and he has formed a very strong bond with Antonio Conte.
This will come as a blow to Liverpool, who will have to look elsewhere for a new star after Mane made it clear that he is ready to tackle a new challenge away from Merseyside. What was looking like the dream season for Liverpool has ended in disappointment.
Their quadruple hopes were dashed by Manchester City who came from two goals down to beat Aston Villa, and retain the Premier League title. And Liverpool also suffered defeat in the Champions League final, losing 1-0 after Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the game.
