Arne Slot has admitted Girona star Miguel Gutierrez has caught his eye amid links with a transfer to Liverpool.
The Reds are in Spain at the moment as they prepare to take on Girona in the Champions League. The visitors are well placed to reach the last-16 of the competition, sitting top of the league phase as they look to make it six wins out of six later today.
And the game could provide Slot with a chance to scout a potential future transfer, with Gutierrez having already been touted for a move to Anfield. Reports during the summer linked Liverpool with the left-back, with the Reds said to have been monitoring him alongside Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Gutierrez joined Girona from Real Madrid in 2022, having been part of the Los Blancos squad that beat Liverpool to the Champions League trophy that same year – although he wasn’t in the squad for the final.
Since then, he has impressed for the Catalonia club, helping them reach Europe’s premier competition for the first time this season, and his performances have not gone unnoticed by Slot.
“I think their game model is what stands out, their idea about football,” Slot said during his press conference when asked about Girona. “Last season I watched quite a lot of them, because I found it really interesting what he (Michel) did with the left full-back (Gutierrez).
Liverpool has been linked with a move for Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez
Liverpool has been linked with a move for Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez
“He’s still doing it this season as well, playing so inverted, having such a free role from that position – at that moment of time, you didn’t see that so often. That was interesting to see.”
Should Slot want to act upon that interest, TBR claims Liverpool would have to meet a $37m (£29m/€35m) release clause that is in Gutierrez’s contract. Real Madrid is said to hold an $8.4m (£6.6m/€8m) buyback option, although the Bernabeu club is supposedly looking at Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, who has also been linked with Liverpool.
Liverpool.com says: That certainly adds a bit more intrigue to today’s game. There will be plenty of eyes on Gutierrez now, especially since his position will put him directly up against Mohamed Salah. If he can impress against the Egyptian, it might not only be Slot that is interested in him.