According to Melissa Reddy of the Independent, Newcastle United have had a £13.5 million bid accepted for Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis.
Newcastle's £13.5m bid for Jamal Lewis has been accepted by Norwich City
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) September 5, 2020
Lewis, 22, was previously a target of Liverpool who were in the market for the player currently away on international duty with Northern Ireland.
The Reds had initially identified Lewis as a natural replacement for Andy Robertson and submitted a £10 million bid [Sky Sports] for the defender yet it was instantly rejected by Norwich.
According to James Pearce of The Athletic, Lewis was desperate to move to Anfield and had hopes of a compromise between the two clubs.
He even accepted that game-time would initially have been limited as back-up to Robertson and that he would relish the chance to continue his development under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 04: Jamal Lewis of Norwich City reacts during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 4, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
However, Liverpool never came back in for the Norwich star and instead turned their attention to Kostas Tsimikas who was swiftly signed by Michael Edwards for £11.75 million from Olympiacos.
It represents yet another impressive standoff from Liverpool’s irreplaceable sporting director who has once again utilised the club’s reoccurring stance of not being taken advantage of in the market.
Edwards has perfectly demonstrated that in order to succeed in the market you sometimes have to walk away to potentially look at getting good deals elsewhere.
The reality is that Norwich were trying to play hardball and Liverpool were having none of it and the main victim of such events is Lewis himself.
Norwich have unquestionably shot themselves in the foot having called Liverpool’s initial bid as ‘disrespectful’ only to then accept an offer £3.5 million more expensive weeks later.
The Reds pulled off a masterstroke with their signing of Tsimikas. They refused to be held to ransom by Norwich and in turn showed the rest of the market that they won’t be drawn into prolonged negotiations.
The Canaries even claimed that they wouldn’t pick up the phone unless a £20m figure was being touted by a potential suitor. So much for sticking to your core principles and values.
Liverpool’s approach in the market is that their financial valuations are final and if there is a considerable impasse between both negotiating parties then Edwards and the club are not afraid to walk away from the table.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Alisson of Liverpool celebrates his team’s second goal, scored by Sadio Mane (not pictured) during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and West Ham United at Anfield on August 12, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Maintained approach
This shouldn’t be too surprising for supporters as Liverpool have become masters of the dark arts when it comes to haggling players for cut-price deals even when shopping near the elite bracket of the market.
Over two years ago in 2018, Liverpool were quoted £90 million by Roma regarding the potential sale of goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Edwards valued the Brazilian at significantly less and stuck to his evaluation with the sporting director even prepared to walk away from a deal if the Serie A outfit refused to budge on their price-tag.
In that situation, Liverpool indeed got their man yet the Reds have walked away from deals entirely in the past.
Timo Werner was persistently linked with a move to Merseyside yet Liverpool couldn’t justify paying in the region of £53 million when considering the current economic crisis and uncertainty that surrounds the ongoing global pandemic.
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