Liverpool reportedly considered moving for Lille forward Jonathan David before switching focus to Diogo Jota.
The Reds confirmed the signing of Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday in a deal worth a reported £45m.
According to The Athletic, however, Liverpool nearly went for Canada international David instead.
The report suggests that the Premier League champions had been monitoring the 20-year-old during his time at Gent and were impressed by his goals return.
However, David joined Lille in a £27.5m deal earlier this month, at which point Liverpool had already set their sights on Jota.
Jurgen Klopp's side have made three signings this summer, with left-back Kostas Tsimikas arriving from Olympiacos and Thiago Alcantara coming in from Bayern Munich.