Ayew offered to ‘play without wages’ for Liverpool

Oli Fisher
Andre Ayew: Looked to secure dream Anfield switch

Andre Ayew may have sunk Liverpool on the field on Sunday, but his admiration for the Anfield club off the field is something he does not hide.

Ayew scored a brace for the Swans as they secured Premier League safety, denting the visitors’ European hopes in the process.

The 26-year-old has been impressive for the Welsh side this campaign, scoring 10 of their 37 goals in the Premier League this season.

The boyhood Liverpool fan reportedly offered to play for free for the Redmen after his exit from Marseille last summer, with claims suggesting he was willing to ‘go without wages until January to prove himself’.

However, the Merseysiders chose to pursue other targets, instead signing Danny Ings and Christian Benteke for their forward department, with Divock Origi also returning from a loan spell.

Jurgen Klopp reportedly made a bid for the player while manager of Borussia Dortmund before the Ghanaian was near the end of his Marseille contract. The £7million offer was not enough to tempt Ayew, who preferred a move to the Premier League at the time.

Mark McKay of ExcelFoot, who negotiated Ayew’s move to Swansea, admitted there was genuine interest from the Reds at the time, before they opted to turn their attentions elsewhere.

“It has always been Andre’s dream to play for Liverpool but unfortunately they opted to pursue other targets at the time.”

Sunderland made approaches to sign the player in January, reportedly offering player exchanges and cash amounts of up to £10million.

Upon joining the Jacks in August 2015, Ayew admitted the switch may take some time to get used to in an interview with the club.

“I have realised that it’s a different way of living and working,” he added. “It’s like one family here, and I hope it stays like that.

“It’s important to stay like one family in the good moments, but especially in the bad moments too.

“Everything is going really well. The guys have been good to me and have helped me settle in really quickly.

“It’s not easy to move to a new club and a new country, but I’ve come into a good squad, and I’m trying to do my bit to add to that.”