Liverpool missed out on 'terrific' defender after he rejected Anfield switch

Liverpool missed out on 'terrific' defender after he rejected Anfield switch Throughout the summer, there were many players that got linked with a Liverpool switch. The Anfield outfit were in need of a major rebuild with Arne Slot's underperformance from the 2025-26 season still fresh in the memories of fans. Thanks to this, most people thought that the Reds would end up fielding an entirely new-look team in their opening game of the season against Newcastle. However, that wasn't the case as only four new players were brought in. And, while those four players have all had a decent impact since their arrival, a few extra new players would've probably been appreciated. So, the fact that one of Liverpool's transfer target actually turned them down in the summer proves that the Reds weren't fully happy with what they had at their disposal either. Raul Asencio turned down a move to Liverpool in favour of staying with Real Madrid One of Liverpool's main problems last season was their defence. Giovanni Leoni got ruled out for the entire campaign during his first game against Southampton and, since Joe Gomez is Mr Unreliable, he wasn't much use to them either. This then obviously left a lot of the burden on the shoulders of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Van Dijk was probably the Reds' best centre-back while Konate failed to impress on multiple occasions . This led fans to demand that new defenders were brought in which is likely one of the main reasons why Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet were signed. However, according to Spanish outlet Marca , Real Madrid's Raul Asencio actually turned down a move to Liverpool in the summer, leaving the Reds a man down yet again. "As many as three offers arrived on Asencio's desk during the summer. "Two came from the Premier League, with Chelsea and Liverpool showing interest, and another from Turkey with a financial offer that could make almost any footballer hesitate. "Furthermore, in parallel with these negotiations, Real Madrid continued their search for a center-back. "The club eventually signed Konaté , and in that context, Asencio was considered available for transfer. But he was never certain he wanted to leave, even though Mourinho also showed him the door." Raul Asencio could have been Liverpool's replacement for Joe Gomez As mentioned, injuries and Liverpool didn't go well together last season. In almost every other game, the Reds ended up with another injury which left them lacking in depth. Of course, having versatile players among your ranks is a way to stop this but, when your most versatile defender is the one who always seems to be side-lined, that plan doesn't work. This is what has happened with Gomez over the last few years. If the Englishman managed to keep fit, he'd probably be a starting centre-back for England and would've had an impeccable career at Liverpool, but, since he spends so much time injured, it's hardly a surprise to see the Reds being linked with new defenders. Asencio is only 23 years old so he has plenty of his career ahead of him with former Real Madrid player Santi Canizares even calling him a " terrific " player. He's only really ever played as a centre-back but, there have been several occasions where he's also been used as a right-back. Obviously, since he was the one that turned Liverpool down, another move from the Reds isn't likely to be on the cards any time soon but, if that opportunity does ever arise again, he could easily replace Gomez at Anfield .