Liverpool view £30 million-rated Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili as a long-term Alisson Becker replacement with a loan move to Premier League sides Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth on the cards.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
After missing out on one Euro 2024 star this week – Martin Zubimendi opting to remain at Real Sociedad – Liverpool are rapidly closing in on another.
Giorgi Mamardashvili has been evolving into one of the finest young shot-stoppers in the game for the last few seasons, drawing comparisons with Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.
But it was during the European Championships where he really took his talents into the mainstream.
Mamardashvili was outstanding as an unfancied Georgia side reached the knockout-stages. They even defeated Portugal along the way, Valencia’s number one making a truly world-class save as he plucked a Diogo Dalot curler out of the top corner.
And while Liverpool’s pursuit of a new goalkeeper may raise eyebrows – it is not secret that a ‘number six’ is a more pressing concern – the uncertainty surrounding Alisson Becker’s future goes some way to explaining that impending Mamardashvili deal.
Liverpool close in on Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili
HITC understands that Liverpool see the latter as a long-term replacement for the former.
Alisson will turn 32 in October. And while his contract still has a further three years left to run, there has been Saudi Arabian interest in recent times. The likelihood is that, should Alisson depart at the end of the coming season, Mamardashvili will take his place.
HITC have been told that Liverpool have opened talks with Valencia. A fee has not been agreed yet but Los Che would accept around £30 million.
The plan is for Mamardashvili to officially become a Liverpool player in 2025. They want to get a deal agreed now, however, with Valencia then loaning the Tbilisi-born 23-year-old out to another club in the meantime.
There is interest from across the continent. Liverpool would prefer, however, that Mamardashvili get some Premier League experience before arriving at Anfield.
Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth are among those who have been approached by intermediaries to enquire about their interest.
Newcastle United and Chelsea have admired Mamardashvili from afar too, HITC understands. Both clubs have since brought in new goalkeepers however – Odysseas Vlachodimos and Filip Jorgensen – while Liverpool may also have had reservations about Mamardashvili joining a potential top-four rival.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth handed chance
It is understood that Mamardashvili is open to the idea of moving on loan for 2024/25 before becoming a Liverpool player in around 10 months from now.
This comes after Valencia confirmed that their star players would only leave the Mestalla if an ‘irresistible’ offer was to arrive. They are keen to keep Andre Almeida – the midfielder on Wolves’ radar – while a deal to take Javi Guerra to Atletico Madrid has collapsed.
Sporting director Miguel Angel Cordona, meanwhile, insists that Valencia have turned down two offers for Mamardashvili already this summer.
“We always maintain a balance between the financial and sporting relationship,” Corona explains to Mundo Deportivo. “If we understand that (selling a player) will improve us and we can do it, we can do it.
“If it will improve us and it can be done, we will do it.”
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