Liverpool rejected the chance to sign deadly forward last summer after Klopp and Lijnders decision

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp turned down the chance to sign deadly French striker Christopher Nkunku last summer, according to reports, allowing Chelsea to secure his services.

The 25-year-old has agreed to join the London side from RB Leipzig in the summer for a fee in the region of £63million. But things could have been very different, with the forward nearly making the switch to Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders are thought to have decided against signing Nkunku, who is currently the top scorer in the Bundesliga.

Liverpool may regret their decision to not sign the Frenchman. He has scored 17 goals in 23 appearances for Leipzig already this season, after netting a whopping 35 goals in the 2021-22 campaign.

Nkunku's positional versatility may have made him the perfect replacement for Roberto Firmino, claim the Daily Telegraph. In addition, the forward could have offered some much needed firepower in attack following injuries to both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

Frustratingly for Nkunku, he missed out on the Qatar World Cup after picking up a knock during France's training, spending the rest of the tournament watching from the stands.

However, France did just fine without him, reaching the final before falling short to Lionel Messi's Argentina on penalties.

Needless to say, Liverpool have now missed their chance with Graham Potter tying Nkunku down to a deal soon after his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Instead, Liverpool have signed PSV forward Cody Gakpo, who is expected to feature against Wolves in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

Who is Pep Lijnders?

Liverpool's assistant Pep Lijnders has been very useful in recruiting players to the club. The departure of several key Liverpool figures including Mike Gordon, the president of owners Fenway Sports Group, who has stepped back from recruiting players, has paved the way for Lijnders' new-found influence.

Klopp's number two has helped to sign a number of important players including Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and most recently Cody Gakpo.

The Reds are in dire need of fresh legs, having suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Monday night. The performance underlined the inconsistency in which Liverpool have played with all season, sending panic around the club, as a Champions League place edges further and further out of reach.