Liverpool stance on Santiago Hezze transfer after surprise links to Argentina star

Liverpool's stance on Olympiacos midfielder Santiago Hezze has emerged following surprise last-minute links to the Argentina star.

The Reds were desperate to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad earlier this summer as Arne Slot aimed to resolve his defensive midfield conundrum, yet the club failed in its attempt to lure the Spaniard to Anfield .

For the majority of August, things have been relatively quiet with regards to an alternative to the Euro 2024 winner but some surprising links to a new target have emerged with less than 48 hours to go of the transfer window.

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A post on Reddit claimed Liverpool has identified Hezze as a potential midfield target, although it would "take a lot" for the Europa Conference League champions to allow the Argentine to leave for Anfield this late in the transfer window.

The post sparked other rumors involving the Reds and the Argentine midfielder, which were eventually shut down by The Athletic. They report that he is not a target for the club ahead of deadline day.

Even if the rumors were true, it would take an awful lot to get a deal over the line before tomorrow's 11pm BST (6pm ET) deadline. However, the Olympiacos star would certainly offer something different to the current Reds midfield and could be the ideal candidate to fill the No.6 void under Slot.

Hezze featured for Argentina's Under-23's at this summer's Olympics in Paris, starting La Albiceleste's first two group stage games against Morocco and Iraq before being used as a second-half substitute in the final fixture against Ukraine. For the last 16 defeat against hosts France, however, he failed to play a single minute.

But the youngster's inclusion came off the back of an impressive campaign for Olympiacos in which he made 50 appearances across all competitions as his side finished third in the Greek Super League and won the Europa Conference League during his debut campaign.

Hezze provided the assist for the only goal of the game as Ayoub El Kaabi's 116th-minute strike secured a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina in Athens in May - helping his side become the first Greek side to ever win a major European trophy.

His only goal of the season came in the previous round against Aston Villa as Olympiacos won the first leg of their semi-final 4-2 at Villa Park, while there was also an assist in the 2-1 victory against West Ham during the Europa League group stage earlier in the season.

It was quite a first campaign to remember for the 6ft 0in defensive midfielder, who had signed from Argentine Primera Division outfit Huracan following nine goals and eight assists in 122 appearances following his first-team breakthrough in 2020.

Hezze, who's contract at Olympiacos runs until the summer of 2028, is currently valued at $11.1million (£8.4m/€10m) by Transfermarkt , which is more than affordable for Liverpool if it wishes to pursue a last-minute move for the midfielder.