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Liverpool are set to miss out on a deal for Lutsharel Geertruida ahead of Monday’s 7pm transfer deadline, with complications surrounding the proposed agreement stalling progress.
The Reds had been hopeful of completing a move for the Dutch defender, who is currently on loan at AFC Sunderland from RB Leipzig, but those hopes have now faded as negotiations failed to reach a breakthrough.
Despite that setback, Liverpool remain alert to late opportunities in the market, with an eleventh-hour alternative still a possibility. The club have already agreed a deal with Rennes to sign highly-rated centre-back Jeremy Jacquet in the summer.
Liverpool have negotiated a pre-agreement worth an initial £55million plus £5m in add-ons for the 20-year-old, following talks with the Ligue 1 side over the weekend. In terms of outgoings, Curtis Jones is emerging as a player in demand.
The 25-year-old has been linked with both Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan ahead of Monday’s deadline. One player who will not be leaving Anfield, however, is Andy Robertson. Tottenham’s attempts to sign the Scotland international were unsuccessful, with Liverpool’s ongoing injury concerns across the back line understood to be a key factor in the club’s decision.
Former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling has also returned to the transfer conversation after ending his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent last week, becoming a free agent 21 months after his final appearance for the Blues.
The decision allows Sterling to sign for a new club even after the winter transfer window closes on Monday evening. The 30-year-old has featured in the Champions League for four Premier League sides — Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and during last season’s loan spell at Arsenal — but is yet to win the competition.
His only Champions League final appearance came in Manchester City’s defeat to Chelsea in 2021, while the last of his 27 goals in the competition was scored for Chelsea against Borussia Dortmund in March 2023.
Despite interest from several clubs, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reports that Sterling was offered to Union Berlin in recent days, but the Bundesliga side have decided against pursuing a move.
Union Berlin managing director Horst Heldt confirmed exclusively to Sky: “Sometimes you have to rub your eyes (…) In this case, it didn’t really seem serious. We didn’t pursue it any further.”
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