Media outlets around Spain are full of Liverpool these days. AS say Real Madrid and Manchester City are interested in Dominik Szoboszlai, a story by Fichajes claims Andy Robertson has decided to leave and has held talks with Celtic, while Mundo Deportivo suggest the wounded Premier League champions would be willing to pay €100million to sign Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan.
Looking at these stories from a logical point of view, not one of them makes much sense.
At the age of 25, Szoboszlai is certainly a player any team would want in their ranks. Liverpool have had serious problems this season, but the Hungary captain is arguably the only one in Arne Slot’s squad to have performed well with relative consistency, even in defeat.
However, Liverpool have the midfielder under contract until 2028 and more reliable sources claim the talks over a new deal are underway. Given how Real Madrid’s interest successfully derailed such talks with Trent Alexander-Arnold and how it’s impacting those with Ibrahima Konate at the moment, it seems to be a formula Real president Florentino Perez is applying once more.
The difference is, Liverpool have acted timely with Szoboszlai, with two and a half years left on his contract. His performances have surely earned him an improvement of terms and the club hierarchy are obviously ready to give him one. In all likelihood, Liverpool will remain in control of his future for a long time yet and it will take an astronomical offer, probably well over €150million, for them to even consider selling.
It is, of course, a different situation with Robertson. The 31-year-old left-back is in the final year of contract and it will be solely up to him to decide whether he wants to continue playing at Anfield or not. Furthermore, any terms the club might offer him wouldn’t be as lucrative as those offered to Szoboszlai, and there is the prospect of seeing his game time reduced in the future to consider as well. Milos Kerkez hasn’t yet hit the levels required since his move from Bournemouth this summer, but it stands to reason to expect him to get there at some point.
However, no reliable source in England or Scotland has reported any decision being made, or any talks between Robertson and Celtic – a few tabloids have mentioned it as a story coming from Spain, no more, and some portals of questionable integrity quote “sources”.
It doesn’t prove that it’s not true, of course, but reason has to interfere here: A Scottish player, the Scotland captain no less, playing for an English club, on the verge of returning to Scotland, and no serious journalist, English, Scottish or otherwise, knows anything about it while a Spanish tabloid does?
Smells fishy, to put it mildly.
And the biggest mindbender of all is probably the notion that Liverpool would be willing to pay €100million for Alessandro Bastoni. Like Szoboszlai, the Italy international is under contract with his current club until 2028, and his services would certainly cost a lot, and there has never been any credible suggestion that he’d be willing to even consider leaving Inter any time soon.
So, a player who doesn’t want to move, would cost a lot of money, playing at a top club that has no reason to sell. A real “here we go” moment, right?
And what about Liverpool, would they want Bastoni?
The Merseysiders spent a lot of money this summer and are certainly in need of another centre-back, with new signing Giovanni Leoni out with an ACL tear and Joe Gomez always a step from another injury. It leaves Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as the only viable option for the centre-back pairing, which is unacceptable for any side competing on multiple fronts. Furthermore, as has been said, Konate could be on his way out soon.
On the last day of the summer window, Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, but Palace withdrew their consent at the eleventh hour. Liverpool reportedly remain interested, but they seem likelier to wait for the end of the season and try to get it done for free, rather than offer a fee in January.
So, with a player like Guehi on the market as a free agent, not to mention Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano who has been linked with Liverpool too, the Merseysiders being willing to pay €100million for Bastoni would be a shocking development indeed.
Put together, these stories seem devised as an attempt to put a seed of doubt and discontent into Liverpool’s dressing room. Real Madrid may have taken Alexander-Arnold from them and appear likely to take Konate as well at the end of this season, but it seems Florentino Perez cannot get over the 1-0 defeat his “new Galacticos” suffered at Anfield last week.
The only goal of the game was a header scored by Alexis Mac Allister – also recently mentioned as an object of potential interest from Real Madrid – assisted by Szoboszlai, who put in a top overall performance and repeatedly gave Thibaut Courtois in the Real goal work to do.
Coincidence? Feel free to form your own views, of course.
