Jeremy Doku’s father appears to have ruled out a move to La Liga outfit Barcelona, speaking to Het Laaste Nieuws about a player still on the radar of Premier League giants Liverpool.
Even the most rose-tinted of Liverpool supporters would probably have to admit that Jeremy Doku made the right decision when he turned down a move to Anfield three years ago.
Doku, at the time, was a little known teenager making his way through the ranks at RSC Anderlecht.
But despite being given a guided tour of Melwood – and being identified by none other than Jurgen Klopp himself as Sadio Mane’s long-term successor – the baby-faced Belgium took the ‘grass isn’t always greener elsewhere’ approach, deciding against joining one of the biggest clubs on planet earth.
Given that Doku would become a first-team regular at Anderlecht before sealing a £26 million move to Rennes last year, it’s fair to say he made the right call.
After all, it’s hard to imagine the Antwerp-born 19-year-old featuring quite so often at a Liverpool side who cannot even guarantee Diogo Jota or Roberto Firmino a starting place these days.
Could Liverpool finally sign Jeremy Doku?
According to Voetbal24, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have continued to keep tabs on Doku since his big-money move to France, though it remains to be seen whether the 2020 Premier League champions will pay £38 million for a man who could have arrived for a nominal fee just three years ago.
At least Liverpool won’t have to worry about Barcelona snatching Doku from under their noses.
“We haven’t had any news (from Barca) and I don’t think they are able to spend large sums of money right now,” says Doku’s father, pointing out that a club over a billion euros in debt cannot really afford to splash out nearly £40 million on a teenager.
“There are others clubs that appreciate Jeremy, even if I can’t say anything about it.
“I don’t think he wants to change (clubs) yet but, in football, everything can change quickly. It depends on which team is interested.”
According to Jeunes Footeaux, Tottenham Hotspur have also expressed an interest in Doku although it seems he was a target for Nuno Espirito Santo rather than managing director Fabio Paratici.
Did Spurs’ interest follow Nuno out the door?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
