Boost For Liverpool As Real Madrid Withdraw From Race For Top Target

Liverpool fans will be pleased to hear that Champions League winners Real Madrid have ‘no interest’ in signing Serge Gnabry, according to Spanish sport paper Marca.

Liverpool are interested in signing the German winger this summer in order to replace Sadio Mané, who is reportedly heading to Bayern Munich. Gnabry has just one year left on his contract at Bayern and has not come close to signing a new deal, despite the German champions being in talks about a contract extension ‘for a long time’, according to their President Herbert Hainer.

Carlo Ancelloti is reportedly satisfied that Rodrygo and Asensio are adequate cover for Madrid on the wings, it’s unsurprising that Ancelotti’s word on the matter is final, given that he recently won his fourth Champions League as a manager and completed the double by winning La Liga.   

Madrid are blessed with quality out wide. Vinicius Jr has as much potential as any young player in the world and capped off a superb season by scoring the only goal in the Champions League final. The aforementioned Rodrygo and Asensio both played crucial roles in Madrid’s title winning season and 23 year old Uruguayan international Federico Valverde has been superb this year. Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has struggled to make a significant impact at Madrid but he’s got world class talent and, at the age of 31, may still be capable of producing the unstoppable performances that led Jamie Carragher to label him the ‘best player in the Premier League’ in 2018.

Whilst it appears that Liverpool will not have to compete with the Spanish giants for Gnabry’s signature, there may well be competition from closer to home. Arsenal, Gnabry’s former club and a side that he seemingly still has affection for, are reportedly interested in signing him. In 2020, Gnabry told CBS Sports that Arsenal would be ‘the favourite’ if he returned to the Premier League. 

Despite Real’s loss of interest, Gnabry to Liverpool is still far from a foregone conclusion.