What happened the LAST time Liverpool tried to sign an Everton star

Liverpool have tried to sign from Everton before. Here's how that went down.

Liverpool reportedly want to try and sign Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton. Sky Sports are the latest to have that line - but they're not the only ones.

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The Daily Mail reported just last week that the Reds were one of several clubs hoping to snap him up. Branthwaite wouldn't come cheap, though, as Everton want £75m.

Now, we imagine Liverpool's interest was largely built on the idea of the Toffees getting relegated this season. It did look likely at one point but David Moyes has got them comfortably safe already.

Without relegation, it is difficult to see Everton accepting any offer for Branthwaite from across Stanley Park (and that might be the last time we use that phrase, strangely). They simply don't like selling to the Reds.

It has happened, of course. Nick Barmby and Abel Xavier both moved from Blue to Red in the 21st century. Both moves happened over 20 years ago, mind.

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Peter Beardsley was a particularly high-profile transfer in the other direction - but again, we're going back a way here.

So how about more recent times? There was actually an attempt from Liverpool under the current ownership.

Here's how that went.

When Liverpool tried to sign Romelu Lukaku

Liverpool wanted to sign a target man back in 2015. Well, we say 'Liverpool' - Brendan Rodgers wanted to sign a target man.

After losing Luis Suarez in 2014, Rodgers was adamant that the Reds needed a different profile of forward. Liverpool's 'transfer committee' wouldn't give him that - not for big money, anyway. They instead signed him Rickie Lambert as a sort of token target man, while giving him Mario Balotelli to work with.

That was a disaster, of course. So when Rodgers again asked for a target man the following year, Liverpool felt they had to listen. He wanted Christian Benteke but the club wasn't so sure.

They felt there was a much better option - Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku had just scored 20 goals in all competitions, having bagged 15 and 17 Premier League goals in the campaigns before that.

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He was the profile Rodgers wanted and Liverpool's analysis felt he'd be a good addition. Only one problem stood in their way - he played for Everton.

Still, as Liverpool's former head of research Ian Graham outlines in his book 'How to win the Premier League', the Reds tried.

“In 2015, despite the failed Rickie Lambert experiment, Benteke was yet again top of [Rodgers'] list. By 2015, I preferred the idea of signing Lukaku from Everton. Another ‘hybrid’ striker, he could play the target man role of Benteke, but had other strengths that would fit much better with Liverpool’s style of play. The plan didn’t really get off the ground. Our CEO Ian Ayre was given the unenviable task of ‘crossing the park’ to ask Everton if they’d sell, and was told in no uncertain terms that they would never sell a player to Liverpool.”

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And so Liverpool ended up signing Benteke.

We don't forsee much better luck with Branthwaite, admittedly. As much as a move makes sense for Liverpool, it really doesn't for Everton.

Their fans would almost certainly rather he joined Manchester City for half the money Liverpool offered. We wouldn't even begrudge them that stance, either.

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