Ex-Maidstone United goalkeeper Yusuf Mersin speaks about his time at Liverpool with transfer fee rumoured to have been £1million

Former Maidstone goalkeeper Yusuf Mersin is said to have cost Liverpool £1million.

That was the speculation in the press when Mersin moved from Millwall to Anfield as a 16-year-old.

Now 28, and looking for a new club after leaving the Gallagher this summer, the big keeper will probably never know the true fee.

It was, however, a period of his life he’ll never forget and one that shaped his future, meeting his girlfriend in Liverpool, where they recently bought a house.

“The papers were saying I cost £1million,” said Mersin.

“It’s nice to have that, although I didn’t see any of the money.

“It’s one of them where it was probably a few hundred grand and then add-ons if I made the 23s or whatever.

“It’s mad looking back, thinking about it now.”

Mersin was playing youth-team football for Millwall when Liverpool signed him in December 2011.

It came out of the blue for the Dartford schoolboy who had to finish his GCSEs on Merseyside.

First-team manager Kenny Dalglish called Mersin’s dad to congratulate him and, out of nowhere, the teenager was at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Liverpool knew exactly how to treat young players, keeping Mersin’s feet on the ground.

“It was all a bit surreal at the time,” said Mersin.

“I was still at school and suddenly I was leaving everything behind to start a new life up north.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen.

“I’d been playing for Millwall youth teams for years and I guess I was doing well and they came to see me.

“Everything was great in terms of moving me up there and getting me set up and the club were very big on college work. We had meetings where they said 0.1% of players make it in the Premier League.

“They gave figures out like that to say you’re here, you’ve