Liverpool transfer BOOST as €60m midfielder moves one step closer

Liverpool are watching the transfer market for potential midfield recruits.

Even though Arne Slot has got elevated performances from the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones this season, there is still the possibility that the Reds add quality in that sector in transfer windows upcoming.

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Moreover, the futures of Wataru Endo and Tyler Morton remain uncertain while Alexis Mac Allister has been linked with a potential transfer to Real Madrid.

Accordingly Liverpool are keeping an eye on arrivals.

Martin Zubimendi was the Reds’ top target last summer and there could well be movement for the Spaniard in January or next summer. But Richard Hughes, the club’s sporting director, is also casting a wide net for alternatives.

That search has taken him to FC Porto where last summer Liverpool were linked with the potential signing of Alan Varela.

Nico Gonzalez impresses Liverpool staff

However while Reds staff have been monitoring the Argentine over the last few months, another Porto midfield has blown them away.

Nico Gonzalez, the Barcelona academy graduate, is having a stellar season with Porto and has come onto Liverpool’s radar with the consistency of his midfield performances.

The 22-year-old has a buyout clause of €60 million in his Porto contract but one complicating factor has been the presence of Barcelona in the background.

Barca OPT OUT of Gonzalez deal

Barca inserted a €30m buyback option in the deal which took him to Portugal, which expires after June 2025. That meant Liverpool - or any other potential suitors - would have been powerless to prevent the Catalans from exercising their right to bring Nico back.

However, according to the latest reports in Sport, the Spanish giants have no intention of re-signing Nico Gonzalez next summer. With cash in short supply, sporting director Deco is content to bet on La Masia graduates like Marc Casado and Pedri in midfield rather than making big-money signings.

Moreover it’s been reported that Barca are owed 40 percent of the proceeds of Nico Gonzalez’s sale should he move on next summer. The club would prefer to bank that money with little headroom in their budget.

That gives Liverpool a clear run at Gonzalez in next summer’s transfer window in order to sign one of the targets that have so impressed club scouts in recent months.

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