CONFIRMED: Liverpool want to sign £50m Zubimendi alternative

Liverpool did not manage to complete deal for Martin Zubimendi last summer.

The Spanish Euro 2024 winner was heavily tipped to move to Anfield in order to become the Reds’ long-term midfield anchor but the deal fell apart despite Liverpool agreeing to pay Real Sociedad the player’s release clause.

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Arne Slot was instead asked to make do with the midfield assets already on his books with Ryan Gravenberch coping admirably in the No.6 position.

However the midfield links have not stopped. Players such as Quinten Timber have been linked with an Anfield arrival while a move for Zubimendi is no longer to be ruled out either.

Liverpool impressed with Samuele Ricci

Anfieldwatch revealed earlier this month that one of the names under consideration as a Zubimendi alternative was the Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci.

The 23-year-old Italy international is seen as the coming midfield force in Italian football, establishing himself in the Azzurri lineup throughout 2024 and is widely expected to move on from Turin soon.

We understand that Liverpool staff are impressed by Ricci’s numbers and the club even made contact with Torino in order to enquire about him. However the club were discouraged by a €60m (£50m) asking price.

But with Ricci only under contract until 2026, his price could well reduce accordingly despite being a key player for Paolo Vanoli’s side.

AC Milan, Inter and Man City also interested

It’s not only Liverpool who have got Ricci on the radar however with top Serie A clubs queuing up to sign the 2001-born talent. AC Milan have shown concrete interest in claiming Ricci next summer and they face competition from city rivals Inter.

La Stampa is now reporting that Liverpool along with Manchester City have got Ricci in their sights, backing up our exclusive story from earlier this month. The Italian media outlet gives an estimated fee of over €30m but that could well be for domestic suitors with Premier League clubs left to pay the so-called English tax.

However it’s also reported that Torino are not yet looking at a sale. Should no new contract be agreed through then Liverpool could well look to take advantage with another “opportunistic” transfer.

Sporting director Richard Hughes (pictured) that the Reds would seek out those kinds of deals in the market and he is known to be a fan of Serie A, adding Federico Chiesa from Juventus over the summer.

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