Liverpool were linked with a move for central midfielder Aster Vranckx at the beginning of the summer before the teenager joined VFL Wolfsburg.
Then at Belgian Pro League side KV Mechelen, the Reds were linked with the teenager alongside Manchester City – a move which may have materialised were it not for the player’s own career decisions.
In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Vranckx outlined the thinking behind his decision to make the step to the Bundesliga club, saying: “I didn’t just want to be a bargain for a European superpower. Wolfsburg really has a plan for me.”
The German club landed the starlet on a pre-contract until 2025 for an initial £7.2m fee, but the Belgium under-19 international has big ambitions, insisting: “I believe in my qualities and am ambitious. Next season, I want to play as soon as possible.”
Vranckx isn’t alone in his ambitions for his career – agent Peter Verplancke believes this is merely a step towards the elite, saying: “This is the right step for him. Top European clubs were also interested, but Aster didn’t want that. ‘I’m not going to a club like that now, am I?’
“That is what typifies him. He did not want to become the plaything of a top club.”
Before his impending switch to the Bundesliga, Vranckx had played 10 times in the Belgian top flight this term; scoring three times.
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Clearly a player with a bright future and a wise head, the step from Belgian football to the upper echelons Premier League would have been a giant one for Vranckx to take in one fell swoop.
A move to a mid-table German top-flight club gives the player far more scope to develop without massive pressure of performing.
Whether Jurgen Klopp keeps an eye on the midfielder’s development remains to be seen – especially with a teenage sensation of his own in Curtis Jones to nurture.
