£51M Liverpool transfer target has put transfer rumours to bed

Liverpool wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi in the summer transfer market but despite Liverpool triggering his £51 million (€60M) release clause, he ultimately chose to stay at Real Sociedad.

Ever since Fabinho left the club, the Reds have lacked a world class defensive midfielder. Wataru Endo joined the club last summer and proved to be an astute signing but given his age, he’s not a long-term solution to the problem.

When a deal was agreed with Real Sociedad, Liverpool might have thought Zubimendi would be theirs. However, his rejection left them without their man and he has now spoken out about the decision to stay in La Liga.

Spanish publication Marca released an in-depth interview with the 25-year-old on Wednesday morning. While most of it centred around Spain’s historic win at the EUROs, he did speak about why he chose to reject Liverpool in favour of Sociedad.

Marca asked Zubimendi about what his friends thought about his decision to remain at Sociedad.

He replied: “No, no, my friends are clear that whatever I decide will be the best. There is no pressure whatsoever,” he said.

When asked what the Spanish club means to him, Zubimendi explained: “Real Sociedad for me is my life, I think I have spent half my life there. A lot of what I am is part of La Real, it is my life.”

Liverpool don’t panic in the transfer market

Liverpool need a new no.6 even if Ryan Gravenberch is thriving in the role but they will not rush their investment.

Last summer, we saw the Reds miss out on signing Moises Caicedo and they still finished three places above Chelsea and this summer, they missed out on Zubimendi.

Richard Hughes, the club’s new sporting director, will be assessing options for the January transfer window and if there’s an opportunity that’s too good to miss out on, Liverpool will make their move.

If there isn’t a player that is worth the trouble of negotiating for in the winter window, Liverpool will stay their hand.

Simple as that.