Liverpool's 'monster' bid for Euro 2024 hero 'rejected' during 2021 crisis

Turkey's Merih Demiral lit up the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig during Turkey's last-16 victory over Austria, where he became the first male defender to score a brace in a major tournament game for 26 years.

The Al-Ahli man scored the quickest goal ever seen in a men's major tournament knockout match, notching with just 57 seconds on the clock - also the second-quickest goal in Euros history - as Austria failed to deal with an Arda Guler corner.

The same combination worked a treat in the second period, where Demiral emulated France's Lilian Thuram at the 1998 World Cup by scoring twice in one match, and he also made an astounding 17 clearances to help keep Austria at bay.

Demiral's contributions were critical in helping Turkey reach their first Euros quarter-final since 2008, where they will take on the Netherlands for their right to meet England or Switzerland in the semi-finals.

Juventus 'turned down' £48.2m Liverpool offer for Demiral

The centre-back currently plies his trade with Al-Ahli following stints in Italy with Sassuolo, Juventus and Atalanta BC, and he was apparently courted by Liverpool during his time with the Bianconeri.

Midway through the defence of their Premier League title in the 2020-21 season, the Reds had lost Virgil van Dijk to a devastating ACL injury, while Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were also out for the long-term with ankle and knee problems.

In their search for a solution to the crisis, Sportmediaset claims that Liverpool tested the waters with a sizeable offer of €57m (£48.2m) for Demiral, which was "really tempting" for a cash-strapped Juventus.

However, the Old Lady responded with a firm rejection due to then-manager Andrea Pirlo's belief that Demiral would become a fundamental player for the Bianconeri, but it did not pan out that way for the Turkish centre-back.

Demiral only played 32 games for Juventus - scoring once and supplying two assists - and was loaned out to Atalanta in the summer of 2021 before Gian Piero Gasperini's side made his stay permanent one year later.

The 26-year-old was a regular in the heart of the Dea defence, but he was sold after just one season to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli for £14.1m and came up with one goal and one assist in 21 games for his new club in 2023-24.

Who did Liverpool sign instead of Demiral?

With Juventus standing firm, Liverpool were forced to find an alternative solution to their defensive crisis, instead bringing both Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies - two relatively unknown quantities - to the club.

Kabak cost the Reds £2.1m to loan from Schalke 04, and the 24-year-old made 13 starts for the club - including four in the Champions League knockout stages - before suffering a muscular injury and missing the last few games of the season.

Meanwhile, Davies was a £1.6m purchase from Preston North End but failed to make the grade under Jurgen Klopp, who did not offer him a single minute of senior football at Anfield.

With the youthful Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips preferred as emergency solutions, Davies was loaned out to Sheffield United for the 2021-22 before joining Rangers on a permanent deal.