Liverpool and Man City Considered Swap Deal That Never Came Off
Liverpool and Manchester City had brief discussions over what could have been a stunning swap deal, it has been revealed.
Liverpool and City have been involved in a few dealings over the years, including the transfer of Raheem Sterling in the summer summer where James Milner moved to Anfield on a free transfer.
But a new report from The Times sheds light on a mooted swap between the two Premier League giants a year ago in the summer of 2024.
Liverpool made just a single signing in Arne Slot's first transfer window, drafting in Federico Chiesa from Juventus for around £12 million.
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City, meanwhile, brought in two new players - including the returning Ilkay Gundogan and the £21 million signing of Brazilian winger Savinho.
However, City are said to have had genuine interest in Liverpool forward Luis Diaz and their admiration is believed to have unsettled the Colombian.
Why Liverpool-Man City swap never happened
The former Porto man was also heavily linked with Barcelona and journalist Paul Joyce wrote that Liverpool "countered" City's interest in Diaz by "expressing a liking" for Julian Alvarez.
In addition, Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph said that the Liverpool recruitment team "proposed Diaz might move to the Etihad in exchange for Alvarez" but no such arrangement ever materialised as neither club wanted to sell directly to their rivals.
Although he helped City win two Premier League titles and a historic treble in his two seasons, Alvarez was not entirely satisfied playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland.
City did not stand in the Argentine's way when he told them of his wish to leave for more game-time and he became the record departure at £81.8 million when he signed for Atletico Madrid.
The World Cup winner bagged 29 goals in his first season with Diego Simeone's side and despite making a huge profit on him, City missed his contributions immensely.
Diaz more than played his part in Liverpool's title-winning season last term but got his move this summer, joining Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for £65 million and contributing to the £260 million the Reds received from player sales.
Alvarez was still linked with Liverpool in the summer, with even Diego Simeone publicly speaking about their interest prior to the Merseyside outfit splashing out nearly £200 million on Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.
Josh Lawless