Martin Zubimendi REJECTS Liverpool as incredible Sociedad ...

Liverpool have missed out on the capture of Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, as the player has informed Richard Hughes that he will be staying put this summer.

Liverpool had identified Zubimendi as their No 1 target for the defensive midfield position, with the Spaniard viewed as an upgrade on Wataru Endo. Arne Slot has been impressed by Zubimendi’s quality performances for both Sociedad and Spain and this saw sporting director Hughes work hard on a potential deal.

Zubimendi has a €60million (£51.3m) release clause in his contract, which is a very reasonable fee considering his talent.

Liverpool were in talks with Sociedad over the structure of the deal and were hopeful of getting their man. But the La Liga outfit were always keen on keeping their academy graduate, as they have done when Arsenal and Bayern Munich came calling in the past.

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In a bombshell update on Monday night, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Zubimendi has rejected Liverpool via ‘formal communication’ directly with Hughes.

Sociedad’s efforts to keep the 25-year-old have been ‘crucial’, and he is even ready to sit down and discuss a new contract with the Basque side. Such a deal would likely see Zubimendi’s release clause get increased and also tie him down to beyond 2027, when his current contract expires.

Earlier on Monday, trusted Liverpool reporter Paul Joyce stated that Sociedad are using dirty tactics in an attempt to stop Zubimendi from joining Liverpool.

They told the Spain star that he must activate his own exit clause if he is to head to Merseyside. Sociedad knew that this would be extremely hard for the player to do himself considering the love he has for his boyhood club.

That staggering strategy has worked, as Zubimendi will yet again stay at Sociedad despite being given the opportunity to join a truly elite club.

While it would be brilliant for Sociedad fans to see Zubimendi stay with them for his whole career, it may end up being a case of ‘what if’ for the player himself when he hangs up his boots.

It is unclear at this stage which midfielder Liverpool will pursue instead, though they have previously been linked with players such as Teun Koopmeiners, Adrien Rabiot and Ederson (Atalanta).

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