Liverpool have reportedly held talks with free agent Adrien Rabiot as a precaution should their deal to bring Martin Zubimendi to Anfield collapse.
It was reported on Wednesday by several outlets that the Premier League club have identified the Spanish star as their number one target for this summer as Arne Slot is keen to add a new number six to his squad as the Merseyside club are light in this area of the pitch.
Liverpool are hoping to negotiate a transfer fee with Sociedad but if they cannot achieve this, the English giants are prepared to activate the €60m release clause in Zubimendi’s contract.
On Thursday, the Daily Mail has reported that the Euro 2024 winner has yet to decide his future and now Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil is leading a drive to persuade the 25-year-old to stay put for one more season.
This leaves Liverpool’s pursuit of the Spaniard in doubt and should the Premier League outfit fail to land the midfielder, Football Insider report that the Merseyside club have identified free agent Adrien Rabiot as an alternative.
The 29-year-old departed Juventus at the end of last season having run down his contract at the Serie A club and is on the lookout for a new challenge ahead of the upcoming season having spent five years in Turin.
The report states that Liverpool have held initial talks with Rabiot over a summer move as the French international is one of the Reds’ alternative targets should they fail to sign Zubimendi. The midfielder is a proven player and is a different profile to what Zubimendi would bring to Anfield.
There have been several clubs interested in the former Juventus star this summer and the 29-year-old is likely to decide on his next club soon with the new season right around the corner.
It remains to be seen if that will be Liverpool but is unlikely, as the Reds will be confident of getting a deal for Zubimendi over the line as the Euro 2024 winner is the man Slot wants to occupy the number six role in his team this season.
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