Liverpool see £30 million-rated Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili as a long-term replacement for Alisson Becker, with loan moves to Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth on the horizon.
After missing out on one Euro 2024 talent this week, Martin Zubimendi chose to stay at Real Sociedad, Liverpool is quickly closing in on another.
Giorgi Mamardashvili has emerged as one of the game’s best young shot-stoppers in recent seasons, earning parallels to Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.
However, it was during the European Championships that he really brought his talents to the forefront.
Mamardashvili was superb as Georgia advanced to the knockout stages despite being underdogs. They even defeated Portugal along the way, with Valencia’s number one producing a genuinely world-class save by plucking a Diogo Dalot curler from the top corner.
And, while Liverpool’s search of a new goalkeeper may raise eyebrows (it is no secret that a ‘number six’ is a more pressing priority), the uncertainty around Alisson Becker’s future helps to explain the likely Mamardashvili move.
Liverpool closes down on Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili.
HITC understands that Liverpool see the latter as a long-term substitute for the former.
Alisson will turn 32 in October. While his contract has three more years to run, Saudi Arabia has recently expressed interest. If Alisson leaves at the end of the season, Mamardashvili is likely to replace him.
HITC has been informed that Liverpool has begun talks with Valencia. A fee has not yet been decided upon, although Los Che would accept approximately £30 million.
Mamardashvili is set to officially join Liverpool in 2025. They want to reach an agreement now, with Valencia loaning the Tbilisi-born 23-year-old to another club in the meantime.
There is interest across the continent. Liverpool would prefer that Mamardashvili have Premier League experience before joining at Anfield.
Intermediaries have approached Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth about their interest.
According to HITC, Newcastle United and Chelsea have also liked Mamardashvili from afar. Both teams have now signed new goalkeepers, Odysseas Vlachodimos and Filip Jorgensen, and Liverpool may have been concerned about Mamardashvili becoming a possible top-four opponent.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth were handed chances.
Mamardashvili is said to be open to the prospect of going on loan in 2024/25 before joining Liverpool in about ten months.
Valencia said that their great players would only leave the Mestalla if they received a ‘irresistible’ offer. They want to keep Andre Almeida, a midfielder on Wolves’ radar, while a deal to bring Javi Guerra to Atletico Madrid has crumbled.
Valencia’s sporting director, Miguel Angel Cordona, says that the club has already turned down two proposals for Mamardashvili this summer.
“We always maintain a balance between the financial and sporting relationship,” Corona tells Mundo Deportivo. “If we understand that selling a player will benefit us, we can do it.
“If it will improve us and it can be done, we will do it.”
