FSG dithering costs Liverpool another DREAM transfer

Liverpool could be left to count the cost of transfer indecision as a player they were 'in awe' of moves elsewhere.

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Nico Gonzalez is signing for Manchester City, bringing Pep Guardiola’s January spending towards the £200 million mark.

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Along with the Spaniard, City have also brought in Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and another Liverpool target in Omar Marmoush.

Having watched his side slip out of contention for the Premier League title - and almost fall out of the Champions League altogether - Guardiola has convinced his Abu Dhabi paymasters to spend big in order to realign their campaign.

Liverpool fans might well have been frustrated to lose out to City for Marmoush. The Egyptian attacker was very much on the Reds’ radar over the past couple of transfer windows.

But sporting director Richard Hughes has made it known that renewing deals for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk is the priority. Hence, no incomings in January.

That indecision allowed Man City to steal a march on the Anfield club for Marmoush, who could well have been ideal attacking foil for Salah and co. during the second half of the season.

Alas, it is City who will get the benefit of the former Eintracht Frankfurt man. Ultimately the finances on offer at the Etihad went beyond what FSG would probably deem economical.

But Liverpool look set to lose out on another target to City and this one is perhaps harder to take.

City to sign Nico Gonzalez

Anfield Watch told you that Liverpool identified Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez as a midfield target after missing out on Maritn Zubimendi last summer.

The Reds’ recruitment team were said to be impressed with the 23-year-old’s appetite for pressing and the amount of work he gets through in a game.

He was seen as a potential upgrade on Alexis Mac Allister in the Reds midfield and - alluringly - was available for a set fee.

Gonzalez has a €60 million release clause written into his Porto contract. The Spaniard was also available to Barcelona on a buyback option for €30m as part of the deal which took him to Portugal.

There have been no indications that the Catalans are willing to meet that clause, meaning suitors have been given the opportunity to sign Nico this winter.

It appears City have won that race with FSG’s dithering once again costing them an ideal transfer.

It’s no secret that Arne Slot would like another midfielder - he confirmed his interest in Zubimendi a few weeks ago. And while Gonzalez boasts a different profile to Zubimendi there is no doubt that the club would have benefitted from an extra midfield option.

Slot has been using a rotating cast of four players for his three midfield positions in Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mac Allister. One more could have been useful and certainly one with the first-team potential of Gonzalez.

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But it’s City who will win the race for the Barca academy graduate this deadline day at the end of a fruitless January when even Hughes’ priorities didn’t get sorted.

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