Liverpool failed with an approach to sign Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid last summer, according to his former manager Leonid Slutsky.
Odegaard spent the 2018-19 campaign playing under Slutsky while on loan at Vitesse, scoring 11 goals and creating a further 12 in 39 appearances across all competitions.
The 21-year-old has since joined Real Sociedad on loan for the next two seasons, but Slutsky revealed that European champions Liverpool and last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax were both interested in signing the Norwegian.
"His time at Vitesse has been very important. He became one of the best players in the Eredivisie and had many offers in his pocket. Not only from Real Sociedad, but also from Liverpool and Ajax," Slutsky is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
"It is an honour to have had a share in Martin's growth as a footballer. It was a big challenge for me to kind of resurrect his career. Martin, his agent and I reach an agreement quickly. He had to take a step forward because Vitesse were a stronger team than Heerenveen (his previous loan club).
"It's clear that Real Madrid will decide his future with him by the end of the season. Could he stay with Real Sociedad for another year? I don't know. I'm sure that Odegaard is ready to play for Real Madrid now. When I saw him play for Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu I realised that he definitely has the quality to play for Real Madrid."
Odegaard has made 28 appearances for Sociedad so far this season, scoring seven goals and creating eight.
Barney Corkhill
