'Yes': £60m midfielder confirms his club blocked move this summer after claims Liverpool almost signed him
Yesterday at 03:00 PM
The bones continue to be picked out of a summer transfer window in which Liverpool barely did any business at all.
With Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp, the Reds could have done with giving the new boss two or three fresh players to work with.
Instead, only Federico Chiesa was added to the Liverpool squad, with gaps left unplugged in both midfield and central defence.
The midfield issue was perhaps the most difficult one to stomach for Liverpool fans. Having pushed hard to sign Martin Zubimendi, it was clear that Slot and the recruitment team wanted a new option.
Liverpool were linked with a late move for Alan Varela from Porto, but that ultimately led to a dead end, too.
In the meantime, Liverpool’s midfield has been functioning very well, with Ryan Gravenberch stepping up. But a new admission from another reported target this week will still make for interesting reading on Merseyside.
Georgiy Sudakov confirms transfer offers
Varela looked like a good alternative to Zubimendi for Liverpool. But it doesn’t seem as though the Argentine is an active target.
Nevertheless, it has been reported that Liverpool would still like to sign a new midfielder either in the January transfer window or next summer.
As a result, it is well worth keeping an eye on what is going on with those players linked with moves to Anfield.
One who falls into that category is Shakhtar Donetsk’s Georgiy Sudakov. Sudakov was linked with Liverpool after having a really good season.
READ MORE: Stephen Warnock raves about ‘impressive’ midfield tactical change Arne Slot made against AC Milan
There were claims that Shakhtar wanted £60m to sell Sudakov, though, and perhaps this put the Reds’ off pushing for the 22-year-old.
And, according to Sudakov himself, his club were simply not interested in losing him this summer at any cost.
Speaking to Italian outlet La Repubblica on Tuesday, the Ukraine international confirmed that both Juventus and AC Milan had made proposals to him, but couldn’t agree transfer fees.
“Is it true that Juve and Milan wanted me?” poses Sudakov. “Yes, I received those offers, but they were rejected by Shakhtar.
Will Liverpool look at Georgiy Sudakov again?
Liverpool’s links to Sudakov always seemed a little strange. The Shakhtar man is more of a creative type of midfielder rather than the sitter Slot is really looking for.
Nevertheless, there were claims that Liverpool came closest to signing Sudakov in 2023.
If that really were the case, then we would assume that the Reds will not come back again. Once a target is gone, Liverpool don’t tend to return for a second time.
Despite that, it’s clear that Sudakov has the interest of a number of top clubs. He’ll no doubt end up at one of them before long.
From there, it’s worth remembering that he is still just 22. Maybe Liverpool will continue to monitor Sudakov in case a future move looks like opening up.
