Fabrizio Romano has indicated that Liverpool are unlikely to pursue a summer move for Josko Gvardiol as they don’t want to ‘do anything crazy’ in terms of the finances required to sign him.
Last month, the Daily Express reported that the Reds could revive their interest in the RB Leipzig defender, but it was also claimed that they could need to shatter their club-record £65m to land the Croatian.
That’s only marginally less than the £88.5m that Real Madrid are set to pay up front for Jude Bellingham (The Guardian), a player who was linked with a possible move to Anfield for several months until LFC pulled out of the race because of the excessive fiscal commitment.
CaughtOffside columnist Fabrizio Romano told the publication regarding potential defensive additions at Liverpool this summer: “A player they always loved is Josko Gvardiol. This is the reality, but they know that he’s too expensive this summer.
“This is the reason why they left the race for Bellingham, so it would make no sense to spend almost the same money on a centre-back. It’s very clear that they are not doing to do anything crazy on that deal, but they were looking and are still looking for that kind of centre-back.”
As formidable a defender as Gvardiol is, it’s quite understandable why Liverpool would be reluctant to stump up the price RB Leipzig are reportedly seeking for him.
Even with Alexis Mac Allister through the door, the Reds are likely to seek further midfield acquisitions before focusing on other areas of the squad, with Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone and Gabri Veiga among their chief transfer targets.
Even if they sign one more of those and still have a decent budget left over, it’s hard to see Jurgen Klopp committing to the asking price for the Croatia international when other left-footed centre-backs could likely be signed for substantially less.
Levi Colwill and Perr Schuurs have been touted as potential options to explore, and they’d seem more reasonably attainable than Gvardiol.
It’s a shame that Liverpool look set to be priced out of a possible move for the 21-year-old, but as Romano says, it’d seem illogical to spend a king’s ransom on a defender when they abandoned the chase for Bellingham for that very reason.
You can catch the full transfer chat on Fabrizio Romano’s Substack HERE later this evening
They need to do something if they are to compete next season they should have got bellowing and than maybe move forward next season to get in chapions legue