The Premier League season begins this weekend, and Liverpool look set to be the only team heading into matchday 1 without making a single signing.
Liverpool have missed out on signing Martin Zubimendi, with Real Sociedad managing to convince the midfielder to stay with the La Liga side despite a breakout 12 months for club and country.
With Liverpool unlikely to sign a new no. 6, time is running out for the Reds to bring in new players with the transfer window closing in just over two weeks, with Arne Slot in need of some new additions for the upcoming campaign.
And it appears that Liverpool’s FSG owners were prepared to go big on signing Zubimendi.
Liverpool’s owners ready to pay Zubimendi’s £51m release clause
According to the Athletic, Liverpool sources have indicated that FSG were ready to activate Zubimendi’s £51m buy-out clause to bring the midfielder to Anfield as quickly as possible this summer.
Given FSG’s stance on Zubimendi, the midfielder ultimately rejecting a move to Liverpool will sting a little bit more for supporters given how open the Reds’ owners were in trying to bring the Spanish international to Anfield.
Indeed, Zubimendi would have been a top signing for Liverpool had the Sociedad star agreed to leave his boyhood club for the Merseyside giants ahead of their new era under Slot.
Yet the midfielder made his decision, and with over two weeks of the window left to go, Liverpool are in a race against the clock to find a top midfield signing that will help them in their bid to win the Premier League.
Reds have paid the toll in moving so late for Zubimendi
This summer has been a complicated one for top clubs to navigate through given the Euros and Copa America, with transfers not really picking up until both competitions were done over a month ago.
Yet even still, Liverpool took a big risk in waiting as long as they did for Zubimendi, with the Reds’ paying the roll for how long they took in moving for the Sociedad star this summer.
Lessons have been learnt and Slot has endured a big slip up early on in his tenure as Liverpool manager, and the Reds will want to move on quick from missing out on Zubimendi.