It now looks increasingly likely that Giorgi Mamardashvili will sign for Liverpool, although fresh claims from Spanish media suggest that the Reds almost dropped the ball in a big way.
A deal for the Valencia goalkeeper to join LFC is now in its ‘final stages’, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the 23-year-old expected to be loaned back to the Mestalla for this season before teaming up with Arne Slot’s squad next summer.
However, until the Merseysiders had submitted an improved offer for the Georgia international – believed to be around €40m (£34m), as per The Athletic – they’d left the door ajar for one of their arch-rivals to potentially pull off an almighty hijack.
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LFC Transfer Room on X relayed an update fron Spanish outlets Marca, AS and Mundo Deportivo that Manchester United had sought to pounce when Liverpool’s negotiations for Mamardashvili were ‘not moving forward’.
However, once the Reds agreed to loan him back to Valencia rather than to Bournemouth, as had previously been mooted, Los Ches ‘dropped their demands’ and the pendulum swung back in our favour.
() | ???????????????????????????????? — @MARCA, @DiarioAS, & @MundoDeportivo:
[ Design by: @Marcho0]
@ManUtd wanted to take advantage of the Mamardashvili situation as negotiations were not moving forward and stepped in the picture to sign him, but now the goalkeeper is ????????????????????????… pic.twitter.com/ep9DZ6IqYS
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) August 21, 2024
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If Liverpool had dallied long enough to allow United to steal in for Mamardashvili, it would’ve been an incredibly poor look on Richard Hughes and the Anfield recruitment team, but much to the relief of LFC fans, that prospective catastrophe seems to have been averted.
The Old Trafford outfit had already gazumped us in the race for Leny Yoro this summer after they made a superior transfer offer for the then-Lille defender, although the swift incurrence of a three-month injury setback has taken the wind out of Mancunian sails over that particular transaction.
Nonetheless, having seemed odds-on to sign Martin Zubimendi before the midfielder opted to remain with Real Sociedad, the Reds’ hierarchy can’t afford another so-near-yet-so-far near-miss when it comes to the Valencia goalkeeper.
In the end, Liverpool can probably be glad that Bournemouth’s patience ran out and they switched their attention towards other goalkeeping targets, as that could’ve seen the LaLiga outfit pull the plug on the proposed arrangement and duly hand the initiative to United.
Hopefully we’ll soon have an official announcement from LFC so that – at long last – we’ll be able to revel in the first signing of the Arne Slot era at Anfield!
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