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Liverpool’s efforts to sign Martin Zubimendi will continue with sources in Spain claiming talks are ongoing with Real Sociedad – including a possible swap deal.
All involved wait with bated breath as Zubimendi mulls over his future at Real Sociedad, having emerged as a priority target for Liverpool.
While it had been hoped following the news of the Reds’ pursuit that a deal would be wrapped up swiftly, the midfielder’s current club are attempting to persuade him to stay.
Zubimendi travelled with the Sociedad squad for their friendly against Union Berlin on Friday night, indicating that a move is not close.
But according to Spanish journalist Jorge C. Picon, the two clubs are “still working on reaching an agreement” for the 25-year-old’s transfer.
Picon claims that Zubimendi “has already given the thumbs up to the English team,” though Sociedad will be hoping for a late change of heart.
Interestingly, the Relevo reporter adds that “the possibility of [Liverpool] including footballers in the deal has been put on the table.”
Though there is a €60 million (£51.5m) buyout clause in Zubimendi’s contract, that would need to be paid in full in order to be activated.
Typically, clubs will pay the overall fee over a number of years – often referred to as amortisation – as this is more useful in balancing their books.
Sociedad could hold firm on the valuation set when they agreed terms with the player himself, but clearly Liverpool are exploring other possibilities in talks.
It could be that the two clubs agree a higher eventual fee but with a more favourable payment structure – for example £55 million paid over Zubimendi’s proposed five-year contract at £11 million per year.
Who could Liverpool offer?
The prospect of a players-plus-cash agreement is an interesting one, particularly as Liverpool still have a number of fringe figures they will be hoping to shift.
Fabio Carvalho, Tyler Morton, Sepp van den Berg, Nat Phillips, Owen Beck and Rhys Williams are among those touted with permanent moves, while there are even suggestions that Kostas Tsimikas and Bobby Clark could be available for the right price.
Whether any of those players would appeal to Sociedad is another matter, and it still seems unlikely that this would happen.
Either way, there are encouraging signs from Spain on Friday, with a further update expected when Sociedad reveal their lineup to face Union Berlin.
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