Liverpool express strong interest in signing Belgian international they nearly signed as a 16-year-old: Reports

Liverpool have reportedly reignited their transfer interest in Rennes star Jeremy Doku in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Doku, 21, has established himself as a vital squad member at Les Rouge et Noirs since arriving from Anderlecht for £22 million in 2020. Operating as a right winger, he has helped his team achieve fourth, fourth, and sixth-placed finishes in the past three Ligue 1 seasons.

Prior to joining Rennes, the 14-cap Belgium international was heavily linked with a move to the Merseyside outfit in the summer of 2018. However, he opted to sign a professional contract with Anderlecht.

Earlier in 2021, Jeremy Doku opened up on rejecting a transfer to the Reds despite visiting the club's facilities with his father. He told Ouest-France:

"I was going to be 16 and that was the age you can sign a pro contract. A lot of teams came to see me. Everyone talks about Liverpool because it was the most concrete interest but there was also Arsenal and Chelsea. I was able to discuss with Jurgen [Klopp], [Sadio] Mane, [Georginio] Wijnaldum... [Steven] Gerrard too."

Shedding light on a conversation with Sadio Mane, Doku continued:

"I talked a lot with Mane but we didn't really talk about football. We talked about everything. He told me that I was young, that I still had time... he wasn't trying to convince me or to say to me: 'Come here'. I preferred to be careful. I knew what my trajectory had to be."

Now, as per journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter, Liverpool have again expressed a strong interest in signing the pacy Belgian this summer. However, there has been no indication of the transfer fee.

So far, Doku has scored 11 goals and laid out 10 assists in 90 appearances across competitions for Rennes. He has started just 54 matches in the last three seasons due to a host of injury issues.

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Liverpool appoint a prestigious #7 kit to star forward

Liverpool have confirmed that Luis Diaz is set to change his shirt number from #23 to #7 ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season. The jersey was left vacant after the exit of James Milner, who has agreed to join Brighton & Hove Albion on a Bosman move this summer.

Diaz, who arrived from Porto for an initial £37 million in the winter of 2022, is set to follow in the footsteps of former Liverpool forward Luis Suarez. Prior to Suarez, the famous #7 kit was worn by the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Steve McManaman, and Harry Kewell.

Overall, Luis Diaz has registered 11 goals and eight assists in 47 games across all competitions for the 19-time domestic champions.