Liverpool supporters are waking up with frustration after missing out on another holding midfield signing.
The Reds have been searching for the right player to succeed Fabinho ever since the summer off 2022.
That year, Aurelien Tchouameni chose to join Real Madrid instead of making the move to Anfield. 12 months on and with Fabinho now history, Moises Caicedo rejected Liverpool for Chelsea.
So, when Liverpool targeted Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer, Reds fans were already full of nervousness that their club was about to go zero for three.
Unfortunately, that is now exactly what has happened. Zubimendi will not be arriving to bolster the Liverpool squad this summer. With around two weeks left in the transfer window, the Reds are scrambling.
Liverpool in talks with Giorgi Mamardashvili
It had always looked likely that Zubimendi may come down on the side of staying with his current club.
The longer the 25-year-old took to make his final decision, the more probable it had seemed that he would not be Arne Slot’s first signing with the Reds.
Nevertheless, that title will now be passed to another. Disappointingly, it looks like it will not be in that fabled No.6 position, though.
For the time being the word appears very much to be that Liverpool will not target an alternative to Zubimendi.
READ MORE: Liverpool failed in last-ditch attempt to sign £43m defender last week
Instead, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, they are ‘seriously considering’ the chance to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
“Liverpool are seriously considering opportunity to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili for fee in excess of €30m for Valencia and then loan him out,” Romano reports on X.
“No final decision yet but talks continue, it’s up to Liverpool.
“Georgian GK keen on move to LFC with loan next,” adds the reporter.
What does Giorgi Mamardashvili transfer mean?
This is a really strange one from Liverpool’s point of view. Although it’s obviously good news that they are looking into making an actual signing this summer, the fact that it’s a goalkeeper does set some alarm bells ringing.
It’s been reported that Liverpool are keen to loan Mamardashvili out if they do sign him and that suggests that they see him as a No.1.
It also strongly hints that Caoimhin Kelleher is likely to be at the club next summer. Kelleher’s future is up in the air but if Mamardashvili joins and is loaned out, then surely he’ll still be No.2.
Should Kelleher leave, then the Georgian would be an incredible option as a back-up ‘keeper, but that would also perhaps mean that Alisson’s time at the club is limited.
As a result, we’d argue that this signing would actually be a slightly worrying sign that Liverpool could soon lose one of their most important players. Bittersweet.
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