Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia.
The Athletic reported last week that the Merseyside club were exploring a deal for the 23-year-old, who impressed for Georgia during their European Championship campaign.
A fee in the region of €40million (£34m) has been discussed between the two clubs with Mamardashvili expected to remain at Valencia for the 2024-25 campaign as part of the deal, before officially joining Liverpool next summer.
Liverpool’s position has always been that they want Mamardashvili to arrive in 2025, with Alisson’s status as first-choice goalkeeper not under threat.
The 31-year-old Brazilian is under contract until 2027 and has been capably backed up by Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher for the past few seasons.
Kelleher, though, wants to be a No 1 and the 25-year-old is unlikely to extend his Liverpool contract, which runs until 2026. He is valued at £25m.
Kelleher made 15 Premier League appearances last season due to Alisson’s injury troubles (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have previously been credited with an interest in Mamardashvili.
Earlier this summer, Valencia signed North Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski on a free transfer from Rayo Vallecano.
Mamardashvili kept 13 clean sheets in 37 La Liga games last season.
The goalkeeper made 30 saves in four matches — the second-most in a single edition of the Euros — as Georgia were knocked out by Spain at the last-16 stage.
GO DEEPER
Giorgi Mamardashvili: After Euro 2024 heroics, what’s next for the ‘Georgian wall’?
(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
