Report: Liverpool running out of time to sign ‘phenomenon’, his £42m release clause doubles in July

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Liverpool want to sign Barcelona ‘phenomenon’ Gavi, according to reports. The youngster will be much easier to get in 2022, however.

This comes from Mundo Deportivo. They claim that Liverpool are near the front of the ‘race’ for Barcelona’s Gavi. It’s up for debate how much of a race there is, however.

On the one hand – there isn’t. Gavi wants to remain with Barcelona and doesn’t intend to leave the club. The Catalonians certainly want to keep him and everyone is happy with the situation.

Though, Gavi is still on a fairly small-time contract for a player of his standing. In fact, said contract contains a £42m release clause until June 30th and the watching teams – including Liverpool – know that.

Gavi and Barcelona both want to continue but can’t come to terms on a new deal. That leaves the door open for other teams to convince the 17-year-old he should move elsewhere.

But there’s another factor to consider. Gavi’s release clause doubles on July 1st and while he would have just one more year on his contract, making a deal happen would be more difficult. Liverpool can trigger the bargain release clause as things stand, leaving them able to enter talks and get a deal done quickly.

£84m is a lot of money, though, and any team trying to sign Gavi after July 1st would likely enter negotiations with Barcelona. We can’t imagine they’d entertain a sale, though – they’re far more likely to continue their own contract talks.

Liverpool target Gavi

Essentially, Liverpool need to make this one happen quickly if they want Gavi. As soon as they get word that he’d move, trigger that release clause and move forward.

The 17-year-old is a ‘phenomenon’ in the words of Jamie Redknapp. A midfielder who isn’t even an adult, yet can compete with the world’s best already.

£42m is honestly a complete bargain for the midfielder – Liverpool should push to the front of any queue ahead of June 30th. £84m? That’s too rich for us and we’d expect Barcelona to hold out for the full amount if they do decide to sell post-June.

But again, this all hinges on Gavi actually wanting to leave Barcelona. Right now, he doesn’t want to – so let’s see if Liverpool can convince him over the rest of the campaign.