Adel Taarabt ‘rejected move to Liverpool’ while at QPR over love of Chelsea shisha bar, says Darren Bent

talkSPORT’s Darren Bent has revealed the bizarre reason why Adel Taarabt turned down a transfer to Liverpool.

The Moroccan’s silky skills have dazzled the Premier League, with his most successful spell at QPR.

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He was one of football’s most exciting prospects and was linked with a move away from the capital, with Liverpool reportedly keen.

However, Taarabt opted against making a change elsewhere in the country, with his former Tottenham and Fulham co-star Bent citing part of the London lifestyle as why.

Speaking about his own experience of moving from the south to the north of England, he said: “I’ve always said I wanted to get as far away from London as possible so I could refocus on…even though I was top scorer in the second season I struggled with Spurs.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I was totally focused on football and if you go to the North East that’s all they care about, football, football, football. So for me it wasn’t not a problem.

“I know players I’ve played with, who I know very well who were playing in London, they had no interest in leaving London.

“I’ll give you a great example Taarabt. Was on absolute king ransom to QPR, thought he was on a bucket full of money. I think he was linked to a few clubs in the north, clubs bigger too.

“I think Liverpool was maybe linked with him for a little while at clubs like that, and I said to him, ‘What are you thinking? He said: “I’m not leaving London, I don’t care how much”.

“I said, ‘Yeah but look at the size of the club,’ and he was like, ‘Benty, no.’ That’s what he told me, he told me ‘Benty, every day I train, I finish, [claps] King’s Road, shisha. That’s what he told me, “every day”.

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“I said, ‘But Liverpool, great club’, and he said, ‘Benty, I don’t want to leave London.'”

Bent was then asked if Taarabt would have moved if Liverpool had their training center in London, and he simply replied: “Yeah”.

After eight and a half years in the capital, Taarabt signed for Portuguese giants Benfica in 2015.

The 34-year-old now plays in the UEA Pro League for Dubai-based Al Nasr.