Harvey Elliott shocked Real Madrid officials when he rejected the chance to meet Sergio Ramos because he didn’t like him after his clash with Mohamed Salah in a Champions League final.
Real Madrid made an attempt to lure Elliott to Madrid in the summer of 2019 when clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Chelsea were also interested in his signature.
Liverpool eventually won the race to sign the Fulham teenager, in part due to his life-long affiliation with the club as a supporter.
Elliott was in Kiev when Mohamed Salah was forced to bow out of the Champions League final in 2018 with a shoulder injury after a collision with Ramos.
Liverpool fans accused Sergio Ramos of deliberately taking out Salah, which the defender has always denied, and Elliott was still holding a grudge when he toured the Bernabeu and their training ground a year later.
The Athletic claim Real Madrid officials asked Elliott if he would like to meet Ramos, but the teenager said: ‘No, it’s OK, thanks. I don’t like him after what he did to Mo Salah.’
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The response shocked his hosts and Real’s efforts to lure Elliott wouldn’t be enough to convince him to reject a move to Liverpool.
Elliott has already played seven senior games for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp has high hopes for the player.
Klopp has hailed Elliott as an ‘exceptional talent’ and the teenager is expected to play a big role in the first-team squad next campaign.
The Reds players including Elliott are back in training ahead of the restart to the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.
Premier League chiefs are targeting 17 June as the return date and hope to finish the campaign by 25 July.
Liverpool are just two victories away from clinching their first ever Premier League title and the Reds are expected to play Everton in their first game back.