Liverpool plot January swoop after deal collapses – sources
Liverpool will wait until the January transfer window to sign an A-list midfielder after Martin Zubimendi’s move fell through, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that the Reds are now unlikely to land a top number six before 31 August and will not rush into a deal.
The new-look recruitment team is keen to avoid the mistakes of the past and will not be drawn into an Arthur Melo-style panic deal as the club did in 2022.
Arne Slot has suggested that there are already midfielders in his squad capable of playing the number six role in the short term until a new option becomes available.
Both Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai featured in a deeper role in pre-season, while Alexis Mac Allister filled in there last season.
Liverpool delay transfer move until January after missing out on Martin Zubimendi
A new deep-lying midfielder had been the top priority for Liverpool this summer and Zubimendi emerged as the perfect option for a specialist position in Slot’s team.
However, after extensive negotiations, the Spaniard opted to turn down a move to Anfield in favour of remaining at his boyhood club Real Sociedad.
The Reds’ transfer chiefs were caught out by his decision as they believed they had done enough to convince him to make the move.
Despite this, they are keen not to rush into an alternative deal after missing out and will take their time to assess their options.
Slot is willing to wait until January to land the right profile of player, rather than bringing in a new name who wouldn’t fit the system in the way he wants.
In the meantime, fans were impressed by the performances of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai in the deeper role when Slot experimented with his team in pre-season.
In other news, Liverpool are keeping tabs on Teun Koopmeiners’ situation at Juventus.
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