Martin Zubimendi has added Liverpool to the list of elite teams that he has rejected during his career, with the 25-year-old Spanish ace opting to remain with Real Sociedad. It is a big blow for new head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes .
Having been in talks to sign Zubimendi for a fee of $66m (£51m/€60m), there was encouragement that the player would be open to the move. La Real's charm offensive, however, has eventually worked, with the only positive being that the saga is now over and no more time can be wasted on what was ultimately a fruitless chase.
It has been reported in the Daily Mirror and elsewhere that Liverpool is NOT expected to look elsewhere for an alternative number six this summer, with Zubimendi having had a specific profile that made him appealing. Clearly, though, having identified that position as one that could do with strengthening, that stance would be a risk.
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Liverpool does have other options who can play deeper, with Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones both having done it during pre-season and Alexis Mac Allister having spent most of the last campaign playing there. Dominik Szoboszlai and even Trent Alexander-Arnold are other alternatives, though Wataru Endo hasn't looked particularly well-suited to the role up to now.
The fact is, though, that none of those players look particularly natural in the role. Gravenberch was excellent against Sevilla but the La Liga side offered a very limited attacking threat and posed next to no danger in an aerial sense. It could look very different if the Dutchman was playing as the number six in the next Anfield game against Brentford.
It is possible that Liverpool could find an alternative. Zubimendi is not the only player out there who could be an upgrade on the options that the Reds already have in that position and having now unsuccessfully chased Aurelien Tchouameni, Moises Caicedo and Zubimendi, it is an area of the field that Liverpool has been searching in for a while.
The Caicedo bolt from the blue last summer shows that things can change quickly but Liverpool needs to quickly work out a plan. An interesting couple of weeks might lie ahead.
Liverpool.com says: While there is only a short time remaining in the transfer window, Liverpool needs to find an alternative to Zubimendi. Second choices are not always bad and having identified the defensive midfield position as a priority, not signing anyone there would leave a gap in Slot's roster. There are, though, only 17 days left for work to be done.
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