As the 2024 summer transfer window drew to a close, Alonso was eager to strengthen his Bayer Leverkusen squad ahead of their campaign in both domestic and European competitions. ..Continue Reading
The club brought in three new signings, including left winger Martin Terrier for £20 million from Rennes, and midfielder Aleix Garcia from Girona.
However, Leverkusen were also keen to recruit another midfielder: Tyler Morton.
Morton, who made his Premier League and Champions League debut for Liverpool in November 2021, had spent the previous two seasons on loan in the Championship with Blackburn and Hull.
He thrived in Blackburn’s midfield, making 43 appearances across all competitions, and continued to impress during his stint at Hull.
His performances at the MKM Stadium caught Leverkusen’s attention, and they showed strong interest in acquiring the highly-rated midfielder, who was reportedly valued at around £20 million by Liverpool.
Over a year later, Morton—now thriving at Lyon following his recent transfer—shared details of a phone call he received from Alonso, who has since taken over at Real Madrid.
“It’s a funny story,” he told SPORTbible. “I was on a golf course with my mates at the time. I got a text from my agent, who said: ‘Xabi Alonso’s going to call you soon’. I’d heard about the move but didn’t speak about it too much because I’d been told I wasn’t leaving Liverpool.”
During the call, Alonso praised the Liverpool academy product. “He (Alonso) told me how highly he rates me as a player,” said Morton, who called their “brief” exchange a dream-like moment.
“They wanted to sign me.”
Liverpool were reportedly weighing a loan proposal from Leverkusen, and other European clubs such as Atalanta and RB Leipzig were also interested, but the move didn’t come to fruition.
“They (Leverkusen) came in quite late that summer, but I spoke to the manager (Arne Slot) about it and Liverpool wanted me to stay,” the midfielder added. “I spoke to my agent, and we were pushing a move, but it was difficult.”
Since joining Lyon in August for £15 million, Morton has made an immediate impact. He earned Player of the Match honors on his home debut against Metz and netted the winning goal against Lille in September.
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