Liverpool one step closer to dream deal after Brighton’s £90m answer
By
Bence Bocsak
Bence Bocsak
Liverpool will be delighted about what Brighton have done in the last couple of days in this January transfer window.
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If there is one thing that is certain is that the notion that Saudi Arabia's investment into football has faded away is nonsense.
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Jhon Duran, arguably one of the most talented young players in the Premier League is making a big money move to Al Nassr.
Other young players like Alex Baena have also been targeted and the Saudis are trying to sign players in their prime years as well.
That was the case with their pursuit of Kaoru Mitoma, who James Benge reported Al Nassr were willing to bid £90m for.
Yet surprisingly, despite the huge money on the table, Brighton have rejected the Saudi advances.
Brighton's £90 Mitoma rejection is great news for Liverpool
Brighton's refusal to allow Mitoma to leave has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. There is no doubt this decision will raise eyebrows all across the country.
Mitoma is a fantastic player. He's one of the best dribblers in the league but he is at best worth £60m, nowhere near what was on the table for him.
He's 28 years old this year, entering his prime years, but he's also someone who will only be the player he is today for the next 4-5 years maximum before starting his decline.
For that reason Brighton's rejection is baffling but it's great news for Liverpool.
The Saudi winter transfer window has ended and Al Nassr have not splashed that £90m anywhere else. It means it's still there to be spent in the summer.
Which is when Liverpool will be open to doing business. Anfield Watch exclusively reported that Saudi clubs wanted to buy Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool rejected a £70m offer for his services. Now, given the context of the Mitoma bid, it's understandable why Liverpool did what they did.
It's also understandable why Liverpool don't want to sell right now and disturb the club's winning formula.
However, in the summer, given that Nunez is not really a starter and that the Reds' ideal replacements for him will be available to buy, it's entirely possible they will be willing to sell.
And with the money still at Al Nassr's disposal, the Saudi club could just pounce and offer that £90m for Nunez rather than Mitoma.
In fact, they could go even further and target Luis Diaz who has been the subject of interest from Saudi clubs as well and who could be on the move given he will enter the last two years of his deal in the summer.
It's all seemingly working out brilliantly for Liverpool. Selling Nunez for a profit would be a dream transfer for the club and it could give a significant boost to Liverpool's budget to grow and bolster Slot's squad.
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Comments
Mitoma not worth £90 million? Think the author of this article needs to give his or her head a wobble.
At the late stage of the window how easy and how expensive would it be to replace a key player? How much would Liverpool need to spend to replace Salah?
Mitoma is a massive international asset for Albion even without his efforts on the football pitch. His shirts are among the highest sold shirts worldwide for Albion and that has to be taken into consideration along with his merchandise when thinking on how much he is worth.
He's 28 years old this year which means he has at least 7 years ahead of him during his footballing career. Salah is 33 this year, I don't see anyone else writing him off as not being valuable even with his expiring contract. Mitoma is contracted until 2027 and Brighton have a one year option. He also loves the club and personally rejected a move.
Salah wants to leave Liverpool.
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