Arne Slot has approximately two weeks to recover from Martin Zubimendi’s choice to reject Liverpool.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool was willing to loan Stefan Bajcetic to Real Sociedad in order to sign Zubimendi from the Basque club, but the Spain international ultimately elected to stay in San Sebastien.
Liverpool’s target midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch, is now available for a low fee after expressing his desire to leave his current club.
Liverpool might sign Manu Kone for £21 million.
Florian Plettenburg of Sky Germany has claimed that Manu Kone wishes to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, and the Bundesliga club has granted his request.
The German side is thought to be willing to sell the Frenchman for €25 million (£21 million), with €20 million (£17 million) paid up front in a set fee rather than in installments.
Plettenburg doesn’t say whether Liverpool is interested in this opportunity.
According to Tutto Juve, Liverpool sought to sign Kone before agreeing to a £34.2 million transfer for Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in August 2023.
The Italian news outlet also said that Liverpool was interested in the 23-year-old during the January transfer window earlier this year.
Arne Slot should encourage Michael Edwards to make a move.
While Zubimendi is a fantastic player, the Borussia Monchengladbach No.17 is more than capable of slotting directly into Liverpool’s midfield as the No.6 ahead of the defence.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout describes Kone as a “one man army” in the heart of midfield, highlighting his outstanding physicality and desire to pass the ball forwards.
According to WhoScored, the man from Colombes averaged two tackles and 1.1 critical passes per game in the Bundesliga last season.
Interestingly, Kone has been compared to Jude Bellingham because of his physicality and unwavering ability to move forward when in possession.
By all accounts, £21 million for a 23-year-old on the verge of making the French national squad after representing Thierry Henry’s U23 side at the Olympic Games seemed to be a great deal.
Keep a watch on this issue, as Liverpool may be tempted to bid for Kone after being rejected by Zubimendi – in our opinion, at least.
