Sporting director blown away by unexpected Liverpool offer

Genk couldn’t believe how much Liverpool were willing to pay

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola holds his arms out wide in frustration. — (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

De Conde told the press: “I knew he was on the radar of top clubs.

“That he’d even visited Real Madrid. And that he was one of the lads we hoped to get a handsome fee for at some point, to ensure the club’s survival. But for it to happen *that* quickly. And for *that* amount… I never saw that coming.”

He went on to add: “…people saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’? Sorry, but that’s not the case.

“In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed.

“Liverpool is serious. ‘This is the offer.’ And the very next morning, Lucca was on a plane to Liverpool.”

We have to admit: £30m for a goalkeeper from the Belgian league – with only 17 senior appearances at the time of writing – is pretty bonkers.

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However, even if we are to read between the lines and suggest, as Sport Witness have, that Liverpool could have negotiated a smaller fee for Brughmans, we have to agree with the club’s long-term thinking here.

Ultimately, there are still serious doubts about Giorgi Mamardashvili’s future at L4, even if we should, fairly, acknowledge the Georgian’s mostly strong display against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.

And with this potentially being Alisson Becker’s final campaign for Liverpool, we can’t afford to delay the question of who will be our long-term No.1 until the following summer. This way, we at the very least have two senior options available to battle it out for the role between Mamardashvili and Brughmans in 2027/28.

Liverpool have to get comfortable with overpaying on occasion

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker runs on the pitch. — (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

One major frustration stemming from our summer exploits was a starkly apparent refusal to pay over the odds for any target.

To former sporting director Richard Hughes’ credit, we did manage to negotiate PSG down on their asking price for Bradley Barcola. However, critics would reasonably point out that it came at the cost of fixing other clear squad concerns during the summer transfer window. More to the point, Liverpool effectively allowed a European competitor to dictate the course of their window, missing out on potential opportunities like Ferran Torres in the market.

In the end, if we’re going to pursue a policy of paying smart money for top targets, we’re mostly on board with this, provided it doesn’t leave Andoni Iraola short.

And if it means having to overpay elsewhere to nail down top talent for the future, it’s a small price to pay to not leave our recruitment team with yet more answers in future windows.