Liverpool have reportedly been given an extra few days to try and clinch a deal for one player who Arne Slot is believed to be very keen on signing.
The £50m release clause in Dani Olmo‘s contract at RB Leipzig had been due to expire next Monday 15 July (Fabrizio Romano), but according to the Liverpool Echo, it has been extended slightly to the following Saturday (20 July).
That may be due to the 26-year-old’s involvement in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday night, when his Spain side will aim to break the hearts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and their England teammates. You can click here to check out the markets for upcoming sporting events such as the decider in Berlin.
However, according to The Mirror, the Reds are ‘unlikely’ to try and swoop for the Spanish attacker prior to the new deadline.
READ MORE: Arne Slot plans to kickstart Liverpool’s summer transfer window with £51m double raid
In May, reports from Spain indicated that Slot had asked Liverpool chiefs to pay Olmo’s release clause as a matter of urgency, believing him to be the perfect candidate to bolster our attack.
It appears that those pleas will now go unheeded, thus giving other suitors a chance to capitalise on the 26-year-old’s stunning performances at Euro 2024, in which he’s joint-top scorer along with five other players, of whom only Harry Kane is still involved in the tournament.
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The Spaniard has excelled in the number 10 role for club and country over the past year, and while Jurgen Klopp conventionally went with a 4-3-3 in which the midfield trio often played relatively deep, there could be more scope to fit in a playmaker behind the forward line under the new head coach.
The danger for Liverpool if they don’t move quickly for Olmo, even with the extension on the release clause, is that Leipzig are expected to demand a minimum of £60m and possibly as much as £70m if he remains their player beyond 20 July (The Mirror).
Are tickets still available for the Euro 2024 final?
That would almost certainly take a significant chunk out of our summer transfer budget, especially when reinforcements at centre-back are needed, along with potentially a new backup goalkeeper if Caoimhin Kelleher leaves.
Richard Hughes and his recruitment team have a decision to make. Do they take advantage of the extra five days’ grace and try to steal in for the Spanish attacker, or do they hold fire in the belief that other areas of the squad take priority?
We won’t have to wait too much longer to get our answer.
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