I was close to joining Liverpool but it was their fault the transfer didn't happen

Luis Figo has revealed just how close he came to joining Liverpool in the summer of 2005.

With his Real Madrid contract expiring that summer, the 2000 Ballon d’Or winner held talks with the Reds after their Champions League final win in Istanbul.

Admitting a move had been close, the Portuguese, who was 32 at the time, points the finger of blame at Liverpool for the reason why the transfer was never actually completed.

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"Yes, it was a possibility at that time," Figo told GOAL. "It was close, I was negotiating with Rafa (Benitez), but in the end it didn’t happen for different reasons.

“Liverpool at the time were struggling and not making a decision on whether to sign me, so I decided not to go there.

"I don’t know (what they were waiting for), but every week they were like, ‘We’re waiting to do this,’ and then they sign one player. ‘We’re waiting,’ and then they sign another.

“So I said, ‘Come on, this cannot happen, I cannot wait too long.’”

Liverpool would end up signing Bolo Zenden, Pepe Reina, Momo Sissoko, and Peter Crouch in July 2005, as Figo instead joined Internazionale at the start of August.

And the Portuguese ultimately ended up having no regrets about moving to the San Siro rather than waiting for the Reds, as he won four Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia, returning 11 goals and 36 assists from 140 appearances, before hanging up his boots in 2009.

"I decided (to go with) what was more secure and sure in that moment,” he said. “Which was after I had a meeting with Massimo Moratti (then-Inter owner).

“For me it was the best decision to play for Inter. I’m very grateful for the love the supporters gave me in an important period of my career. I felt very loved and cared (for) there. For me they were four amazing years."

Earlier in his career Figo had made one of the most high-profile and shocking transfers in football history, moving to Madrid from bitter rivals Barcelona.