Liverpool have a strong rival for a major signing and it could ruin their plans

Liverpool have a fierce rival in their pursuit of a £35m transfer target. This could ruin their big plans.

Cope in Spain reports that Liverpool are indeed looking to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Georgian has built a fantastic reputation over the last year, leading to many rating him among the world's best.

The Reds would reportedly sign Mamardashvili and loan him out, with a view to him returning down the line as Alisson Becker's long-term replacement. He'd cost around £35m to sign and the club feel that would solve one of their biggest upcoming problems.

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However, they're not the only ones with this idea. The report suggests that Atletico Madrid are also big fans of Mamardashvili and view him as an ideal successor to Jan Oblak.

There's a chance that Oblak will depart from Atletico this summer and if he does, a move for the 23-year-old Valencia goalkeeper is pretty much expected. And Diego Simeone's side would fancy their chances of winning the race against Liverpool.

Liverpool and Atletico want Mamardashvili

The big disadvantage Liverpool would have is that they'd want to loan the player out immediately. Atletico wouldn't - they'd give him a first-choice role immediately.

There's no real timeline on Alisson, either, and it would leave Mamardashvili out on loan for a year or two. It's not quite as glamourous a step as becoming Atletico's no.1 goalkeeper from next season.

It wouldn't be an absolute disaster if Atletico snap him up but it would set Liverpool back a bit. They appear to have decided that Mamardashvili is the ideal replacement for their Brazilian star - they'd need to move to their no.2 choice if they miss out on their target.

This one is firmly 'wait and see', though. It'll largely depend on what Mamardashvili wants for his career in the short-term as much as the long-term.