Joe Gomez found himself at the centre of surprising rumours linking him with Real Madrid heading into the summer transfer window - with Aston Villa said to be another of his suitors - but the 25-year-old defender has opted to sign a new five-year contract at Liverpool.
He insists it was an easy choice, with little attention paid to the speculation suggesting that he could head to Spain.
He does face fierce competition for places at Anfield from Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, but a man with 11 England caps never gave any serious thought to leaving Merseyside for Madrid or the West Midlands.
Was Joe Gomez a transfer target for Real Madrid?
Gomez told the Liverpool Echo: “I can’t dispute I heard about these rumours, but until things are concrete with my representatives, I take it all with a pinch of salt.
“Any interest is flattering, but I don’t really see it like as that much of a distraction because until I make my decision, the external noise is just that – external.
“Once I got my head around what I wanted to do, my signing is me understanding the challenge and wanting to rise to it.”
Getty/GOALWill Gomez play for Liverpool?
Gomez found game time hard to come by last season, with a man that has previously worked his way back from cruciate ligament damage and a broken leg putting himself back in contention for minutes after eight months on the sidelines with a patella tendon issue.
He was handed just four Premier League starts in 2021-22, and 21 appearances in total, but believes a regular role can be secured in Jurgen Klopp’s plans.
Gomez said: “I can understand why people would have thought I’d be considering moving on, for sure, 100%.
“It’s apparent from my age now and based on my opportunities in the past, there was definitely still a decision for me to make.
“I guess you could see it at as a crossroads, but speaking to the club, I knew it was an important decision for me to make.
“Fundamentally, the opportunity that I have here and the platform and the chance to be at this club is one that is hard to walk away from. Essentially, it was me accepting the fact I have got to take on the challenge.”