Arne Slot gives Liverpool transfers update as Martin Zubimendi decision nears

Arne Slot is adamant Liverpool remain in the market for new signings as they wait to discover if their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi has been successful.

The Reds have identified Real Sociedad’s Zubimendi as their chief target as they attempt to bolster their defensive midfield options ahead of the transfer deadline on August 30.

The 25-year-old will shortly decide if he will accept the chance to move to Anfield, which will prompt Liverpool to press on with negotiations with the Spanish side over the structure of a deal for a player who has a £52million release clause in his contract.

Slot was asked about the prospect of any new faces after the Reds’ home friendly double header on Sunday, when a 4-1 win over Sevilla was followed by a goalless draw behind closed doors against Las Palmas.

And the Liverpool head coach said: “As a club like we are, we are always looking if we can strengthen the squad but it is not so easy to strengthen the squad, if you saw both games today.

“I said many times before I inherited a real strong team and if we can and if we think it is possible we will strengthen the squad but only if we can and only if we think it is possible.”

Slot avoided directly addressing interest in Zubimendi by stating: “You can come up with every name you want to, of course.”

One transfer that appears set to be concluded is that of Fabio Carvalho, with Liverpool having agreed a £27.5m deal to sell the attacking midfielder to Brentford.

“From what has been told to me there is an agreement in place but I haven't spoken with the club, I was fully focused today on these games,” said Slot. “I don't exactly know what the status with him is but that was the reason why he wasn't selected today.”

And Slot has explained why Sepp van den Berg, a target for several clubs including PSV Eindhoven and Mainz, failed to feature in either game, with Nat Phillips instead starting alongside Ibrahima Konate against Las Palmas after Virgil van Dijk and Jarell Quansah began the match with Sevilla.

“It’s to do with load management, and of course a player like Nat who has been training with us for a long time deserves to have some playing time as well,” said Slot.

“It’s a combination of a player who has already had a lot of minutes and we don’t want to take the risk of him getting injured, we thought it was best for him not to start today, and that Nat also deserved to play.”