Liverpool has been linked with a plethora of names so far this summer, but as yet it remains the final side in the Premier League still to make a transfer. Some of the so-called targets have already moved elsewhere, or else committed to new contracts — as is the case with the latest player whom Arne Slot can cross off the apparent shortlist .
Indications at the moment are that Liverpool will prioritize a holding midfielder, having signed Wataru Endo as a somewhat stopgap solution last summer. It seems as though Martin Zubimendi might be the one whom Michael Edwards and the recruitment team he has constructed have identified, so it appears the clamor to strengthen in this role will be addressed.
The picture in the heart of the defense is less certain. Most supporters feel Liverpool would be left a little light without further recruitment, having said goodbye to Joel Matip in the summer, but Sepp van den Berg has had an impressive pre-season campaign.
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Nonetheless, there have been plenty of transfer links. Old friends from last summer like Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie have resurfaced, while the latest name to do the rounds (from very questionable sources) is Alessandro Bastoni.
Another name to be mentioned is Gleison Bremer , the Juventus and Brazil defender. But it seems this is not a deal that Slot and the team has decided to pursue.
Instead, Bremer has penned a new deal at Juventus, per Fabrizio Romano . It will keep him at the Serie A club until 2029, and raises the $66m (£51m/€60m) release clause in his contract. The increased figure will not come into effect until next summer.
As such, it's safe to conclude that he will not be moving to Liverpool. And in truth, short of a major pivot of strategy under Slot, this would have been a surprising transfer anyway.
Bremer has been fairly impressive in Italy, but he is already 27. For Liverpool to invest in the back line, it would presumably need to have identified a young player who has the potential to become one of the very best in the world — nothing else would represent an upgrade on existing options like Virgil van Dijk , Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah .
That being said, it does still seem as though an additional signing at center-back would be astute. That's one to watch as the final weeks of the transfer market play out.
Liverpool.com says: The Zubimendi news is very exciting. But it would still feel like a slightly incomplete window if Liverpool did not also add a defender.
At best, if you count Van den Berg as a viable first-team option, it's one in and one out this summer following Matip's departure. That still leaves things a bit light, with Van Dijk getting on in years and Konate notoriously injury-prone.
But Bremer was never likely to be the answer. Best of luck to him as he continues at Juventus.
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