Liverpool are refusing to take no for an answer over their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi with the Reds still of the belief a January deal is there to be done and with CEO of football Michael Edwards ready to repeat a trick he used to get Virgil van Dijk over the line back in 2018.
The Merseysiders were the last of the 132 teams in Europe’s top seven leagues to make a signing this summer with Liverpool eventually luring Giorgi Mamardashvili to Anfield, albeit with the £29m (€34.4m / $38m) swoop delayed by a year, before Federico Chiesa arrived at Anfield after finalising a bargain move from Juventus.
The signing of Chiesa has already been lauded as a bargain with the Reds managing to shave a mammoth £40m (€47.5m / $52.5m) off the original price quoted for him the previous summer. Capable of playing off either wing, Chiesa will add another dimension to Arne Slot’s attack and give Liverpool something of a safety net, especially where the long-term future of Mo Salah is concerned.
Those fears, though, of losing the Egyptian have been quickly extinguished by Fabrizio Romano.
While the Reds did have to wait to get those two signings over the line, they were perhaps a touch unfortunate given the U-turn they suffered in their pursuit of Zubimendi.
Having agreed to meet the €60m (£50.6m / $64.4m) release clause on his head, the Reds then managed to agree personal terms with the midfielder, making a deal appear a foregone conclusion.
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However, at the 11th hour, Zubimendi decided to stay put at Real Sociedad and is now understood to be close to signing a new deal with his hometown club.
Ornstein gives Liverpool hope of Zubimendi transfer
However, the Reds have been reported in recent days to have not truly shelved their efforts to try and lure the Euro 2024 winner to Anfield.
Described as the perfect No 6 for Arne Slot’s system, the fact that they did not try and sign an alternative shows just how highly they rate the 25-year-old.
And amid claims they could launch a fresh approach to lure him to Anfield in the summer, journalist David Ornstein has suggested they could repeat the same trick used to lure Van Dijk to the club back in January 2018.
“They targeted Martin Zubimendi and got far in the deal, but ultimately he decided to stay at Real Sociedad,” Ornstein said on The Athletic FC podcast.
“But no panic, don’t suddenly knee-jerk to an alternative that might not be quite right for you. Perhaps, go with your internal, existing options until the right opportunity arises.
Ornstein added: “Maybe that will be Zubimendi in the future in the way that Virgil van Dijk was after they missed out on him when he was at Southampton one summer and then they signed him in January or maybe it’ll be someone else entirely, or nobody at all as Ryan Gravenberch takes to the role with aplomb. Let’s see.”
Liverpool may still struggle to attract Spain star
Despite Ornstein’s suggestion, the Reds may still struggle to lure the Spain star to Anfield.
The midfielder is a keen walker and is often found in the hills of San Sebastian on his days off, while the sunshine and lifestyle enjoyed in the area was also a key factor in convincing him to reject the Reds.
Those factors will not have changed come the January window and deals during the mid-season window are notoriously difficult to pull off.
Furthermore, with Gravenberch winning widespread acclaim for his performances so far this season, Liverpool will feel they still have time to decide on whether to sanction the move.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder endured an indifferent first season on Anfield and was actually linked with a move away over the summer, with Galatasaray among those understood to have made an enquiry.
However, given the trust by Slot to start in midfield, Gravenberch has shone so far in his three outings, completing 90 minutes on two occasions and only being replaced in the 89th minute in the other, against Brentford.
That said, the fact Liverpool did not go out and sign another No 6 proves just how highly they rate him.
And with Edwards at the wheel and surely having passed on much of his wisdom to Richard Hughes, you would not back against the Reds pulling off a transfer masterstroke.
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