To give credit where credit is due to new sporting director Richard Hughes, he could hardly be blamed for the latter’s u-turn after having initially given his word to the club.
However, with both prior aforementioned targets, the club has taken a hard line over transfer fees that could very well leave us short-handed ahead of the new campaign.
The Merseysiders haven’t been inactive since that point; Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili looks increasingly set to make a permanent move to Anfield. Albeit, via a potential loan spell to fellow Premier League outfit Bournemouth.
What do Liverpool need to do in August?
For starters, getting a deal over the line is an absolute imperative for Hughes and Co. Another change of mind, this time from the La Liga goalkeeper, would not be received well.
Given our obvious needs in the market, however, the signing of the Georgian international alone would rightly not be deemed an acceptable window.
Whilst there have been indications that Liverpool won’t be pursuing an alternative to Zubimendi, there’s no reason to suspect a suitable alternative to Yoro isn’t available in the market.
With that in mind, one name we could look to return to may very well be Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio.
Portuguese outlet A Bola, for instance, report that the defender’s agent, Miguel Pinho, is now in England (following a contract extension with Manchester United). Now it’s expected he’ll hold talks with Liverpool to discuss his Primeira Liga client’s future.
This will come at a relatively high cost – his release clause, which is set at £51m. Though, in fairness, we’d surely feel more inclined to fork this out for a 22-year-old footballer with 173 senior appearances under his belt.
We won’t be able to get any such new body in through the door in time for Ipswich. Nonetheless, with the clock quickly ticking down, we’d be hugely disappointed if talks didn’t get underway for Inacio, or any other suitable centre-back, in the coming days.
