Dele Alli has revealed that a potential meeting with childhood hero Steven Gerrard almost tempted him to join Liverpool - but the chat and transfer didn't happen after the club legend fell asleep!
The former MK Dons starlet was chased by a host of Premier League sides due to his terrific form for the League One club, and eventually signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July 2015 for a fee thought to be around £5m.
Dele has since gone on to prove a snip at that price - becoming a key component of Mauricio Pochettino's starting lineup, as well as being a regular member of the senior England side's first choice eleven, following a whirlwind 15 months at the top of English football.
The 20-year-old, however, exclusively told BBC Sports' Football Focus (via the Daily Mail) that a move to the Reds had been on the cards, before he opted to move to White Hart Lane, after he had been promised a one to one meeting with his footballing idol, only for Dele to be left disappointed upon his arrival.
He said: "At the time when I was at MK there was contact with Liverpool before I signed for Tottenham. But that was before we'd even spoke to Tottenham, I think it was six months before.
'We went up there and I think they knew that Steven Gerrard was my hero so they said he was going to come down and meet me but when I got there he was asleep apparently!
'Naughty? Pochettino has called me worse!'
Dele Alli on Tottenham, England and Mauricio Pochettino: https://t.co/LFrcEJvOgq pic.twitter.com/tJENu3iSUG
"I think he had a game the next day though, so I understand."
Dele, who claims he has dropped the 'Alli' part of his name from this season after being sent away from home as a teenager by his mother in a bid to improve his life prospects, did go on to express his admiration for Gerrard, who hung up his playing boots in November after a 20-year career that also saw the midfielder play for England and LA Galaxy.
He added: "The way he was on the pitch, the way he was as a leader and a player, not just for Liverpool but for England as well “ he was a player I really looked up to."
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