Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Transfers
Martin Zubimendi alternative who Liverpool wanted before Ryan Gravenberch can now be signed for just £21m
Arne Slot has roughly two weeks to bounce back from Martin Zubimendi’s decision to reject Liverpool.
Fabrizio Romano claims Liverpool were even prepared to offer Stefan Bajcetic on loan to Real Sociedad in a bid to sign Zubimendi from the Basque outfit – before the Spain international ultimately decided to stay in San Sebastien.
Now – however – a midfielder Liverpool wanted to sign before Ryan Gravenberch is now available for a bargain fee after telling his club he wants to leave…
Liverpool could sign Manu Kone for £21m
Florian Plettenburg of Sky Germany has now revealed that Manu Kone wants to leave Borussia Monchengladbach this summer – and the Bundesliga outfit have accepted his request.
It is said that the German side will sell the Frenchman if a bid of €25m (£21m) is made, with €20m (£17m) of that sum paid upfront in a fixed fee, not instalments.
Plettenburg does not mention whether or not Liverpool are interested in this opportunity.
However, a story from claimed that Liverpool wanted to sign Kone before eventually sealing a £34.2m deal to take Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in August 2023.
The Italian news outlet added in their report that Liverpool were also showing interest in the 23-year-old during the January transfer window earlier this year.
Arne Slot should push Michael Edwards to make a move
While Zubimendi is a top player, the Borussia Monchengladbach No.17 is more than good enough to slot straight into Liverpool’s midfield in that No.6 role ahead of the backline.
Kone has been described as a “one man army” at the heart of midfield by Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout – where his notable physicality and tendency to pass the ball forwards stand out.
The man from Colombes averaged tackles and 1.1 key passes per game in the Bundesliga last season – as WhoScored shows.
Interestingly, Kone has also been compared to Jude Bellingham as a result of his physicality and unerring ability to drive forward when in possession.
By all accounts, a sum of just £21m for a 23-year-old who is on the cusp of the French national team, having represented Thierry Henry’s U23 side at the Olympic Games, seems like a real bargain.
READ MORE: Liverpool also offered chance to sign midfielder Jurgen Klopp wanted to buy back in 2022
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Liverpool could be tempted to bid for Kone after being rejected by Zubimendi – in our view, at least.