Liverpool could make free agent second summer signing after Giorgi Mamardashvili talks

Liverpool supporters are still (im)patiently waiting for the club to make its first signing of the summer. It is reportedly in talks for one target, and another old rumor has resurfaced which suggests a potential second new boy could be secured relatively quickly.

The first priority appears to be completing a deal for Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili . Where he will spend 2024/25 is yet to be decided – he could remain in Spain or be loaned from his current club to Bournemouth – but the Reds seem determined to get their man.

There remains a need for a midfielder, following the failure to complete the signing of Martin Zubimendi . Liverpool has long been linked with a move for France international Adrien Rabiot. Is it finally time to make rumor reality?

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The 29-year-old, who has earned seven caps alongside Ibrahima Konaté , left Juventus at the conclusion of his contract earlier this summer. As yet, nobody has taken him on for this season.

But now French outlet L’Équipe reports that although Manchester United has shown interest in the player in the past, it is not looking to make that concrete at his point.

As a free agent, the former Juve man can be signed even after the transfer window has closed, so there is not the same level of urgency. Other clubs who are said to be interested at the moment include Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. And, apparently, Liverpool . The talk from France is that the Reds are “keeping an eye” on Rabiot’s situation.

Sporting director Richard Hughes spoke in Arne Slot’s first press conference about the idea of being opportunistic in the transfer market. In the opinion of Transfermarkt , Rabiot has the highest market value of any free agent currently available, with his worth estimated at $39m (£30m/€35m).

Signing a player with the level of wage that the former Juve man would commands means that it’s a deal which would require significant consideration. It is not a signing to complete on a whim. But picking up a relatively high value player on a free would certainly tick the opportunistic box and would potentially make smart business sense.

While he has experience in defensive midfield, with 76 career appearances in the position which Liverpool needs to fill, Rabiot is more of a central midfielder by trade. Even so, how often does the opportunity come along to sign a player with 60 Champions League appearances and 48 international caps for nothing? The idea should not be dismissed out of hand just yet.