ARNE SLOT HUMBLED AS FEYENOORD ACE AGREES RIVAL PREM MOVE, AS LIVERPOOL LAUNCH ‘DESPERATE’ HIJACK ATTEMPT
Brighton have beaten Liverpool to an agreement for a Feyenoord star Arne Slot had given the green light to signing, and reports claim a last-gasp Reds attempt to hijack the deal is likely to fail.
Liverpool are yet to make a dent in the summer window, with new manager Arne Slot still awaiting his first new signing.
The Reds are expected to eventually bring a new centre-half on board to replace Joel Matip who has left via free agency.
A new central midfielder could also be required given Thiago Alcantara’s contract expired on June 30. An upgrade on Wataru Endo could also be sought given the 31-year-old Japan international is clearly not a long-term option.
To that end, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf have reported Liverpool boss Slot gave the green light to reuniting with Mats Wieffer at Anfield.
The 24-year-old is a holding midfielder by trade and was a key component in Slot’s side that won the Eredivisie in the 2022/23 season and the Dutch Cup last term.
Wieffer is not currently taking part in Euro 2024 with the Netherlands. However, that is only due to the 6ft 2in midfielder suffering a late-season injury that ruled him out of selection contention.
Wieffer had featured heavily in the run-up to the tournament, making nine appearances for the Dutch since debuting in March of 2023.
A reunion at Anfield made all the sense in the world given Liverpool’s need and the fact Wieffer knows Slot’s system and tactical demands like the back of his hand.
However, De Telegraaf as well as transfer guru Fabrizio Romano have confirmed Brighton have punished Liverpool’s delay in acting on their interest.
READ MORE: Six Liverpool issues Arne Slot needs to fix next season to turn Reds into title challengers
Brighton beat Liverpool to Mats Wieffer agreement
Taking to X, Romano stated: “Brighton have agreed on deal to sign Mats Wieffer from Feyenoord. Final fee will be €30m plus add-ons.
“Agreement on personal terms being now completed, talks moving to final stages. Negotiations on player side continue.”
De Telegraaf reported the same, though added a few other details that will make grim reading for Liverpool fans.
They claimed Liverpool and Slot are making ”desperate attempts’ to hijack the move. But for the time being, the signs suggest the Reds have left it too late and will miss out.
The outlet confirmed Slot had personally greenlit the move, though Liverpool’s new hierarchy led by sporting director Richard Hughes seemingly weren’t as keen to act.
As such, the door was left ajar for Brighton who have wasted no time agreeing a club-to-club deal with Feyenoord.
An agreement on personal terms isn’t yet sealed and that could give Liverpool an opening. However, the report concluded Feyenoord chief Dennis te Kloese has already travelled to England to finalise a deal with the Seagulls.
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2024-07-04T15:09:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd