Roma forward Mohamed Salah has revealed he was close to joining Liverpool before Jose Mourinho instead convinced him to move to Chelsea in 2013.
The Egyptian, who is currently on loan at the Giallorossi from the Blues after failing to make his mark in London, moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2014, six months after Mourinho brought an end to what he says were already advanced talks with Liverpool.
The 23-year-old had caught the eye in the Premier League after inspiring Basel to wins against Chelsea in the Champions League in 2013, off the back of strong performances against the Blues and Tottenham Hotspur in the previous season's Europa League campaign.
"Liverpool had been after me for months," he told Egyptian television channel MBC.
"They started talks in October 2013 and they went on for a while, also because Basel refused an offer that they deemed too low for me.
"I was waiting to go to Liverpool because I really liked them. I was really desperate to join them, but then I received a phone call directly from Mourinho and that changed everything. He explained the situation to me, telling me I was a good player and saying that Chelsea needed me.
"This is the main reason why I didn't go to Liverpool and I chose Chelsea. My experience in the England helped me a lot. I matured in terms of my character in London."
It did not entirely work out for Salah at Stamford Bridge, though, and after just 13 Premier League appearances, he was sent out on loan to Fiorentina for the second half of last season.
With six goals in 16 Serie A appearances, he caught the eye of Roma and joined them in the summer on a season-long loan deal, turning his back on the Viola who insisted they had already had an agreement with the player to stick with them for another season.
After a summer in which both Serie A sides argued their corner, Salah finally joined the Giallorossi, where he says he's enjoying the best time of his career so far.
"I'm delighted at the Giallorossi," he said. "I feel at ease with all of my teammates and I love the city."