Liverpool have reportedly decided to ‘close the case’ on Barcelona midfielder Gavi after it emerged that he is close to signing a new contract with the Catalan giants.
The Reds had planned to activate the £42m release clause in the 17-year-old’s current deal, which is set to expire in 2024. According to Barca president Joan Laporta, Gavi’s camp had gone quiet during negotiations over an extension, claiming that “his representative has had the renewal offer on the table for a long time but we have no news that he has accepted it”.
This raised the possibility of a potential departure for Gavi, with Liverpool one of the favourites to secure his signature. However, according to Sport, a contract extension is now back on the table, with Gavi set to sign his new Barca deal “in the coming days”.
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His release clause will be set at £860m, meaning Liverpool have been forced to ‘give up’ on their pursuit. According to Steve McManaman, signing Gavi would not have been a wise move anyway, despite the youngster having made seven appearances for the Spanish national team before his 18th birthday.
“Liverpool don’t need Gavi at this moment in time,” McManaman told Horseracing.net (via Liverpool Echo).
“Maybe they could have an eye on him for the future, but I just think at this moment it won’t happen.
“He needs to stay at Barcelona and play football. He needs to fill out and get more experience and become a proper La Liga or Premier League player and he needs to play more games.
“At this moment in time, for that kind of money, when Liverpool have got about seven midfielders anyway, I just can’t see it happening. You need to see him play a lot more games.
“If you were picking between Jude Bellingham or Gavi you’d pick Jude because of the size of him, the experience he has and the fact that he’s played 100 more games.
“Gavi is a wonderful talent but I just think…
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