Liverpool Transfer News Today: Zubimendi SHOCK and £52m Klopp flop EXILED

Real Sociedad dropped something of a bombshell on Thursday afternoon with a squad announcement. Martin Zubimendi has been strongly linked with Liverpool.

News broke on Wednesday that Liverpool were pushing to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. The Spaniard has been chased heavily by major clubs for years now, but the Reds feel confident of signing him.

So much so that they're apparently willing to pay his release clause, with the player himself on board for the transfer.

All going well, then. Only, fresh reports suggest that Sociedad are pushing hard to keep Zubimendi with a 'charm offensive' aimed at the start.

They don't want to lose the midfielder, even for his £51m release clause (all paid up front, too). This suddenly doesn't seem to be going Liverpool's way.

And Sociedad added fuel to that fire late on Thursday as they announced their squad for a friendly against Union Berlin. They're playing the German side on Friday. Zubimendi, it seems, will feature. He was named in that squad, suggesting he's not close at all to moving away.

READ MORE

£52m KLOPP FLOP EXILED AS PERMANENT MOVE SOUGHT

It wasn’t often in the nine years Jürgen Klopp was Liverpool manager that signings didn’t work out, although one name sticks out in that time as being the one that didn’t live up to expectations.

Naby Keita signed for the Reds in the summer of 2018 as one of Europe’s most promising and dynamic midfielders when he arrived from RB Leipzig for £52m. Seen as a quality midfielder who could do everything, the fee seemed like a risk worth taking as Liverpool were looking at further improving after reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the top four in the 2017/18 season.

However, injuries and a lack of consistency always held Keita back from ever reaching his true potential, and the money paid for him became an uncomfortable topic in debates about the Reds’ usually shrewd transfer plans.

Released at the end of his contract in July 2023, Keita sought a return to the Bundesliga where he had once flourished, and Werder Bremen were happy to oblige, picking the Guinean up on a free.

Starting just one competitive match all season for Werder and clearly frustrated, Keita refused to board the team bus and headed home before a match with Bayer Leverkusen in April. Since then Keita has been cast out in Bremen, but was the flag bearer for the Guinean Olympic team in Paris this summer.

Now it has been confirmed by his club that Keita is to train away from the first team as they try to offload him, but without any concrete links so far it could be that he finds himself having a very lonely time.

READ MORE

'WORLD CLASS' KELLEHER WANTS TO QUIT

Despite impressing Arne Slot in the pre-season tour of the United States, Caoimhin Kelleher remains focussed on leaving Liverpool this summer, according to a new report. 

Kelleher, 25, was particularly impressive in the 3-0 win against Manchester United last weekend, shutting out the Red Devils with a sequence of fine saves and helping the Reds to a clean sheet.

It was subsequently reported that Liverpool decision makers had decided to plan for the season ahead with Kelleher in mind as a No.2 behind Brazilian Alisson.

That came despite the fact that the club were earlier prepared to listen to offers of around £25 million and more for the Irish international who has two years left on his current Anfield contract.

READ MORE

ROMANO CONFIRMS LIVERPOOL MISS OUT

After having targeted reinforcements at centre-back throughout the summer transfer window, it now looks like Liverpool will have to turn their attentions elsewhere as Fabrizio Romano revealed that one of their top targets is headed to a major European rival.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s 22 year-old Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho is set to move to Paris Saint-Germain in a transfer that could see the French champions pay a fee of €45 million, according to Romano.

Having spent just the one season in Germany, where his solid defensive displays attracted plenty of potential suitors, Romano reports that Pacho is now believed to be on his way to Paris to undergo a medical ahead of signing a five-year deal.

READ MORE

LIVERPOOL "WAITING" OVER VAN DEN BERG

Liverpool might be able to seal a £20m in the coming weeks - but they require one more domino to fall before that happens.

Eindhovens Dagblad reports that PSV Eindhoven are falling short of Liverpool's valuation of Sepp van den Berg. But we knew that.

Liverpool are chasing £20m for Van den Berg and it's a price that seemingly none of his suitors are capable of paying. PSV are arguably the biggest of those suitors, though both Mainz and Wolfsburg have been linked.

PSV are the team most consistently linked, however, and things could kickstart this week now that Liverpool are done with their pre-season tour. But it seems that the Reds still won't get the money they want from the Dutch champions.

READ MORE

OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN SET FOR PL RETURN

Former Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks set to return to the Premier League after only one year with Besiktas.

The former Red was released last summer at the end of his contract after only making 13 appearances in his final season at Anfield.

Now, The Athletic are reporting that Besiktas and Oxlade-Chamberlain are “reviewing options” for the soon-to-be 31-year-old to return to the Premier League.

READ MORE