The Reds tried and failed to prise the Spanish midfielder to Anfield last week, with new Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitting the player himself was the reason the move failed.
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However, as part of the deal, journalist Fabrizio Romano - speaking on his YouTube channel - suggested that Real Sociedad would have welcomed a loan deal for Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetic to compensate for the loss of Zubimendi but Liverpool are said to have wanted a straight cash deal.
The deal did not materialise with Slot explaining: “[Martin] Zubimendi was one of them, to be fair, but he decided not to come and then we go forward with the ones we have and those ones have done really well in pre-season
“So, we’re in a good place and like I said many times before, in the background Richard [Hughes] is trying to strengthen the squad as he can but unfortunately Zubimendi decided not to come and he [Hughes] did every effort, he tried everything to bring him in, but if a player doesn’t want to come it’s obvious that he is not coming.”
Bajcetic had previously impressed during his breakthrough season at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp in the 2022/23 season, but a long-term injury has curtailed his development and his possible role under Slot is still unclear.
As a result, he could be used as leverage in a deal to tempt Valencia's goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to Anfield. The Georgian international goalkeeper impressed during their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign, helping his country to reach the round of 16 in their first-ever international tournament.
As such, Liverpool could use Bajcetic in a similar fashion to the failed Zubamendi deal in their pursuit of the goalkeeper, although Valencia would likely have to reinvest funds raised by any potential sale into a new first-choice ‘keeper.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that the Georgian had agreed to personal terms with Liverpool and would even be open to spending a period on loan with Bournemouth. The idea being Mamardashvili would replace Alisson long term but still continues to enjoy regular first team football.
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