Liverpool reportedly put in a €50m offer in the transfer window. One that makes them look pretty desperate.
Liverpool tried hard to find a replacement for Mohamed Salah in the summer. Ultimately, they just didn't sign anyone for the right flank.
But again, that wasn't for the want of trying. Liverpool went big on both Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh at the end of the window, for instance, and looked into a deal for Ibrahim Mbaye.
There are others, too, who got away - the most high-profile being Yan Diomande. He was the main target heading into the summer but he rejected the club.
And he wasn't the only one.
Francisco Conceicao rejects Liverpool
TuttoMercatoWeb reports that Liverpool put a €50m offer on the table for Francisco Conceicao. This was rejected by Juventus and the player himself, however.
And that’s a poor look. We weren’t never sure that Conceicao was of the required quality when heavily linked with the player back at the start of the window. The idea that Liverpool couldn’t even convince him to join screams pure desperation - they were trying to sign someone who wasn’t sold on their plan and who they couldn’t give guarantees to.
Again, this is someone who scored just three times in Serie A last season. The idea that a €50m bid to bring him in as Mohamed Salah’s replacement looks insane in hindsight but that was the situation Liverpool found themselves in.
They let Salah go without anything even half resembling a backup plan. They never signed anyone to take his position, instead building a squad with four left-wingers and zero right-wingers.
That’s even with these offers for players who don’t look good enough! Conceicao, Sarr and Minteh would never be hailed as suitable replacements for an all-time great player just one year after an all-time great season.
But Liverpool, in their desperation, were willing to settle for gambles. That’s the position they put themselves in - and it’s one they’re still battling to get out of.