Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.
Martin Zubimendi and his big decision on Liverpool
Undoubtedly, Martin Zubimendi is attracted by the chance to join Liverpool. If that was not the case, the matter would be closed already, he is thinking it over very seriously. There are times when it seems as if he is closer to deciding to leave, and there are times when he is closer to staying. It’s information from my colleague Jorge Picon at Relevo, but the feeling is that it will happen, that this is the idea in mind right now.
Why is Zubimendi considering a move now and not in previous summers? What I can add now is that he has fulfilled his dream of competing in the Champions League. Obviously Real Sociedad are at a high level, but Zubimendi believes it might be the time to take a step forward in his career, and Liverpool would be a big move. The next few days are going to be crucial. Real Sociedad are pushing to keep him, as losing him would be a major blow, but as I say; at points he looks closer to leaving than staying right now.
As of now, Liverpool are the only club I am aware of who want to pay is €60m release clause, or perhaps even a little more than that, depending on how they want to structure the payments. Other teams have obviously enquired, including Juventus, but no other side has made much progress.
Don’t hold your breath for Kingsley Coman to Barcelona
Right now, after the Dani Olmo deal, I am still of the mind that Barcelona need to sell someone up front before anything else. Then, there is the Nico Williams issue. It’s true that on the one hand, all of the noises coming out of Bilbao are that they are very confident of keeping him, and on the other, nobody has told Barcelona that the deal is off or Williams has made a decision. Until Barcelona are told that Williams is staying, then Barcelona will continue to try for it.
The Kingsley Coman links, I don’t get the feeling that this is a hot topic at Barcelona, and certainly not imminent. Not least because their priorities are currently elsewhere – first and foremost on sales. If nobody leaves, things get difficult. Williams’ agent, Felix Tainta, keeps putting out the same message – relax.
Frenkie de Jong could leave – but not for a price Manchester United look to be interested in
The second issue is de Jong’s wages, which are very high. United are currently looking at other options, and are focused on Manuel Ugarte of Paris Saint-Germain.
