One of the brightest prospects in French football almost signed for Liverpool in 2014 but that deal did not take place. Maxime Lopez, who now plays for Marseille in Ligue 1, met Brendan Rodgers in 2014 according to the Daily Mail.

Speaking to L’Equipe on Sunday, former Marseille boss Jose Anigo had more to say about the deal that almost happened.

“Maxime Lopez was about to sign for them [Liverpool] in 2014.”

While that was back in 2014, the Reds have been linked with a number of players in attack this season. The requirement for an attacking player is of the utmost importance for the side and even though Lopez does not play alongside the forwards, he does perform the best when playing in an attacking midfielder’s role.

This season the 18-year-old French U20 international has played eight games in total for Marseille and has provided just one assist. The stats might not be all that great at the moment but we must remember he still is young and has a lot of work to do.

Liverpool need a lot of attacking power

With Philippe Coutinho out till mid-January, Liverpool are in desperate need of more attacking quality. While Lopez could play in the position that Adam Lallana normally stars in, this would lead to a number of changes in the XI for the Reds.

Lallana would probably be pushed up the field a bit but he isn’t the best when it comes to launching quick attacks on the opposition. Also, Lopez is still pretty young and throwing him into the deep end of the Premier League would not be the smartest thing to do.

The Reds don’t have a great history when it comes to French footballers too; we all remember the failed French stars that Gerard Houllier tried to bring through the ranks. Anthony La Tallec and Bruno Cheyrou stand out as two players who never really performed all that well for the Reds.

What Liverpool need is a player who can slot into the starting XI with relative ease. The possibility of moving for Christian Pulisic or even Julian Brandt would be a better option for the Premier League side when compared to Lopez.

Jurgen Klopp normally plays his cards close to his chest regarding transfers and the same can be said regarding this. Lopez might have a bright future ahead of him but he is not ready for the Premier League or even Liverpool at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssNHUf71Bs0