Dele's talks with Liverpool fell short prior to his Tottenham move from MK Dons

Dele Alli confirmed he almost joined Liverpool prior to his high-profile move from MK Dons to Tottenham Hotspur in 2015.

The midfielder enjoyed a break-out season in 2013/14, playing alongside future Premier League stars Patrick Bamford and George Baldock, as Dons stumbled to a 10th place finish. Interest in the teenager was high that summer, but he would not make a move until January 2015 when Spurs capitalised when a deal with Newcastle United fell through.

Dele, appearing on Sky Sports Monday Night Football watching his Everton side beaten 6-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, revealed he held talks with the other side of Liverpool, with former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers about a potential move prior to his Spurs switch after he scored in a 2-1 win over Coventry City in April 2014.

“After the game, Liverpool would play in West Ham, I think in London,” he said on Sky Sports. “I went to meet Brendan Rodgers after that game, the night before the Liverpool game, and we had a conversation, but it never happened.

“I felt at that time I was ready to take the next step.”

Now 28, Dele would get his Premier League move to Spurs during the 2015 winter window, but said he insisted he stayed at Stadium MK for the remainder of the season to ensure Dons made it to the Championship.

He continued: “I wanted to go (back to Dons on loan) because, I wanted to see the team get promoted.

“Obviously it was my local team and we were second in the league. So I wanted to go back and try and help them finish that off because by that time, I knew I'd be definitely ready to go to the Premier League.”