Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has revealed that he considered rejecting a move to Liverpool because he was happy at his former club, Roma.
Alisson became the worlds most expensive goalkeeper when he swapped Rome for Liverpool in a £68 million earlier this summer.
While he wouldn’t be the expensive goalkeeper for long, with Chelsea spending £71m to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga just a few weeks later, the 26-year-old has admitted that his move to Anfield nearly didn’t happen at all.
“(Staying at Roma) went through my mind a lot because I was so happy in Rome,” Alisson told Gazetta dello Sport.
“But when a player decides where to play, it’s a much bigger discussion.
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“I’ve got big ambitions and so do Liverpool, and now I’m playing in the biggest league in the world.
“(Serie A is) not far behind, it’s just different and less intense.”
He added that the decision to move to the Premier League club was one made by his head, and not his heart, which had firmly fallen in love with the Italian capital.
“Leaving Rome was difficult. I cried a lot, together with my wife,” he added.
“It’s only right that I’m honest about it: I made a professional decision; a step forward in my career and for Roma, who earned a huge sum.
“I decided with my head to move to Liverpool, but my heart was full of tears.
“I spent two special years in Rome. My daughter was born there and I have a lot of friends there outside of football.”