Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool were close to signing Tottenham’s Dele Alli

Alli, who scored his first England goal in a 2-0 victory over France at Wembley in November, has already netted five times and has made three assists in 20 Premier League games for Tottenham so far this season.

Speaking to Goals on Sunday, Rodgers confirmed: “We thought we had him at Liverpool”.

Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Liverpool were close to signing Dele Alli before the midfielder joined Tottenham Hotspur.

Former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says he would consider moving overseas when he decides to return to management.

He says, “It’s hard because you want a player in and there’s a list of players, but if the player you want isn’t on that list, you have to take someone”.

In his first interview since being sacked by Liverpool in October, Rodgers offered his views into how the club’s transfer committee works – which became a recurring debate during his reign. The Irishman spent his early days learning his trade in the Iberian Peninsula and the style of football that his teams tend to play bear the hallmark of being distinctly Spanish. “Hopefully come the summer time I can get back into it”, he said.

“What we wanted and what we needed was a player who could really press at the top end of the field”.

Rodgers said he had got as far as meeting the player at a hotel to discuss terms, and he thought he had done enough to persuade him to join, but Alli chose Spurs.

“When we were struggling to get in the type of player we wanted for that role, the ownership thought this (Balotelli) was a player I could maybe develop”, Rodgers told Sky Sports on Sunday.

Pressed on whether it was a decision he regretted, Rodgers said: “Those conversations (about not signing him) do take place and did take place”. And, all of sudden, the only striker who think is going to be here is Rickie Lambert. At 32 years of age going into the Champions League season that wasn’t ideal.

“But we didn’t get Alexis Sanchez”.