Liverpool and Chelsea were in the race to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton last summer.
At some point, Liverpool were ever so close to signing Moises Caicedo, but the Ecuadorian insisted be wanted a Chelsea move.
Liverpool went on to sign Endo Wataru instead.
Endo has thanked Caicedo for joining Chelsea, as he admits he wouldn’t have achieved his dreams if Liverpool had signed the Ecuadorian.
Endo said: “I thought Moises Caicedo would sign [for Liverpool]. I remember seeing in the news that a deal was close.
“I thought that I would lose out, and then he went to Chelsea.”
Speaking about his own move, Endo stated: “In terms of the fee, it was a fraction of the price.
“I hear that’s what they say in the media.
“A player like me, I would only get an opportunity in a situation like this. The ideal situation would be to get a hold of young talented players.
“But not every club can sign their ideal target. So plan B would be to sign an older, experienced player, someone who can be immediately effective. Liverpool were looking for that in signing me.
“It feels like I’ve been waiting for this chance my whole life.”
Chelsea broke the British transfer record in a deal worth €110m to sign Caicedo, and it could rise to €116m if all bonuses and add-ons are paid.