The 34-year-old says he could not reject a return to La Liga once Valencia made their interest known, adding to a growing list of January transfer frustrations for Brendan Rodgers

New Valencia midfielder Seydou Keita has revealed he was in “advanced talks” to join Liverpool during the January transfer window.

The Mail international’s decision highlights another setback for Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who admitted his frustrations after losing out on the signature of Basel winger Mohamed Salah to Chelsea, and then saw efforts to secure a deal for Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka fail on deadline day.

Keita arrived at los Che on a free transfer after an 18-month spell with Chinese outfit Dalian Aerbin and admitted that he jumped at the chance to move to Mestalla despite the Reds’ keen interest.

“When my agent told me that Valencia called to sign me, I didn’t hesitate for even a second,” he told reporters.

“I had very advanced talks with Liverpool, but I wanted to come here and I made that known to my agent.

“When I have come to play at Mestalle with Sevilla or Barcelona I worked very hard to win, because it’s a very big club with very good fans and which plays football that I like.”

Keita won 15 trophies during a four-year spell in Spain, with Sevilla and Barcelona, and has joined Valencia until the end of the season.