Lyon defender Marcelo turned down a deadline-day move to Liverpool after only being offered a six-month contract at the Premier League champions, as reported by L’Equipe.
There are two ways to look at the way Liverpool went about their business in the final few hours of the January window.
Has sporting director Michael Edwards outdone himself again, signing two talented central defenders in Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak for a combined, up-front fee of around £1 million?
It remains to be seen how Davies, snapped up from Championship Preston, adapts to life at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Kabak, meanwhile, joins from a Schalke side who have won just one of their last 30 Bundesliga games. His confidence, you would imagine, will be at rock-bottom after a miserable first half of the season.
Jurgen Klopp will have to be at his charming best to raise Kabak’s spirits ahead of a Premier League title charge.
Kabak and Davies were not the only defenders who entered Liverpool’s sights, however.
The Merseyside giants also made moves for Duje Caleta-Car and David Carmo before Monday’s deadline and it seems that a 33-year-old Brazilian was on their agenda too.
L’Equipe back up claims from England, saying that Klopp’s resurgent side made contract with the veteran Marcelo. But the former Besiktas stopper was not impressed by a short-term, six-month contract on offer at Anfield.
Marcelo will instead see out the season at Ligue 1 title-chasers Lyon before becoming a free agent in July.
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