The Liverpool Echo put it best yesterday when they referenced the ‘failed’ signing of Gaston Ramirez in 2012. We were linked with the Uruguayan prodigy almost every single week, only for him to eventually join Southampton.
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Almost every summer, there is a saga that runs and runs for almost no reason – the papers pick up on the faintest sniff of interest and just keep revamping the same story. Or, if you want to be completely cynical, they just completely make it up.
In the list below, we count down five of the most prominent rumours that have been surrounding Liverpool over the last few weeks and discuss whether or not we think there is any truth in them whatsoever.
5) Carlos Tevez
What have the papers been saying: The Telegraph – a very reputable source for such garbage – have claimed that the Argentine striker will decide on a potential move on Wednesday. That’s despite the former Manchester United and Manchester City man being in talks with Atletico Madrid, according to BBC Sport. They believe that a deal could be done for as little as £10m, with Juve eager to sell now rather than lose Tevez on a free next summer.
Could it actually happen: It’s plausible, although there is a lot that could go wrong. He proved at City that he, like Mario Balotelli, is capable of causing unnecessary drama off the field, something we certainly don’t need more of. His goal record in Italy is good but there are questions marks over whether he’d be able to adapt to a return to the Premier League. However, as marquee strikers go, he’s affordable and available and that might be enough for us.
4) Martin Montoya
What have the papers been saying: Yawn! We’ve agreed terms with the Barcelona full-back about fifty times already. No, not really. The Daily Express‘ latest take on the situation is that the Spaniard is more likely to move to Inter Milan, although they will have probably changed their minds again by next week.
Could it actually happen: Yes, although it probably won’t. He’s certainly within our price range and we need a right-back, but the general consensus appears to be that we’d rather take someone closer to home. We’ve already had bids rejected for Southampton’s Nathaniel Clyne, while a move for Burnley’s Kieran Trippier has also been muted.
3) Theo Walcott
What have the papers been saying: It’s been several weeks now that we’ve been hearing about the proposed Sterling-Walcott swap deal. Those rumours are continuing to circulate – including here in the Metro – despite the Arsenal man reportedly closing in on a new contract. Kieran Gibbs’s name has also been thrown into the mix as well.
Could it actually happen: No. Why would Arsenal want to sell Walcott, who at the end of last season was just coming back into form – scoring a hat-trick against West Brom and the opener in the FA Cup final – and exchange him for a player like Sterling, who has been really struggling. Gibbs is on the fringes of the Arsenal team these days but he’s a product of their youth team and helps them meet the home-grown quote. They won’t give up either player lightly.
2) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
What have the papers been saying: Why Daily Star? Why? They base their rumour on the Swede insisting that he doesn’t care if his next club play in the Champions League or not… despite the fact that he pretty much says the opposite. He says: “Of course, the Champions League is important. You always want to play in the biggest competitions.”
Could it actually happen: Not a chance. The most likely scenario is that he’ll stay at PSG, where he remains a key figure. If he doesn’t, he’ll move to the MLS or some other mega-rich league abroad. His time to move to the Premier League has surely been and gone. We’ve dismantled this rumour a few times so we won’t bore you with our assessment again, but needless to say that there’s nothing to suggest that this would work.
1) Mateo Kovacic
What have the papers been saying: Reports in Italy suggest that we’ve agreed a fee with Inter Milan for the transfer… haven’t we heard that before? The Croatian has been closing in on a move to the Reds for about two weeks now and we wouldn’t be surprised if we weren’t the only ones bored of reading the same old story.
Could it actually happen: Yes – you have to think that there is some truth in this one. He’s very much the sort of player Brendan Rodgers likes – young with great potential who will work well in our pressing style – and Inter Milan seem at least slightly open to the prospect of selling. Don’t expect it to be anywhere near as close as the tabloids would have you believe – this could be one that goes right to the wire – but we think we’ll get there.
