‘I rejected Liverpool on deadline day – I was honoured by their interest’

Lyon defender Duje Caleta-Car previously disclosed that he once snubbed a deadline day bid from , despite feeling honoured by the interest from the Anfield side. faced a defensive injury nightmare during the 2020/21 campaign, with key players Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip sidelined for the majority of the season, leaving scrambling for solutions in the January transfer market.

Ultimately, secured the services of Ben Davies from Preston and Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke, but at the time, Caleta-Car, then at Marseille, was high on their list to bolster their backline as they pursued Champions League qualification.

After the transfer window concluded, Caleta-Car revealed that he had been approached by but chose to stay put following discussions with his club in France. “Today, there is the Champions League, and I am going to watch the two games, I received an offer from ,” he commented back then.

“It was an honour for me to know that such a club wanted me. We decided with the club that I was going to stay. Marseille is also a great club and I still have a lot of improving to do here,” reports . The Croatian international eventually made his way to the , joining Southampton in September 2022 for a fee of £8million after spending just another six months with Marseille.

Caleta-Car only made 19 appearances for the Saints before being loaned out to Lyon after his first season, where he became a key figure in their defence. The French club then decided to make his move permanent in the summer of 2023.

Fast forward four years from that hectic winter transfer window, have been notably silent this month, choosing not to bring in any new players.

Despite some supporters calling for a left-back to be signed due to Andy Robertson’s inconsistent form and a defensive midfielder to provide backup for Ryan Gravenberch, the Reds are set to continue their impressive debut season under without any new additions.