Liverpool may have an opportunity to inflict further torment on Manchester United after a recent transfer setback for the latter.
The Old Trafford outfit agreed a £35m deal to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson last month, but subsequent medical tests have revealed an issue which now looks set to scupper the transaction (BBC Sport).
If that move were to fall through, Michael Carrick’s side would be forced to explore alternative targets, one of whom is already wanted by their northwestern rivals.
According to Globo Esporte, Liverpool and Man United have both made contact with Wolves to enquire about the cost and structure of a potential transfer for Joao Gomes, who’d been poised to sign for Atletico Madrid for €45m (£38.3m) until a disagreement with agent Jorge Mendes led to the deal collapsing.
The 25-year-old would be one of the Molineux club’s most lucrative assets following their relegation from the Premier League, having impressed last season despite them dropping out of the top flight.
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Liverpool’s interest in Gomes dates back to 2022, when he was playing for Flamengo in his native Brazil, so this isn’t a case of sudden opportunism off the back of Wolves’ relegation a couple of months ago.
His former Molineux boss Rob Edwards hailed him as a ‘wonderful player’ (BBC Sport), and data from Fotmob shows that he was foremost among Premier League midfielders for a series of attributes last term.
He ranked poorly for quite a few other metrics, but if the £38m fee with Atletico is a sound barometer of what he’d likely cost, he could provide a much more attainable midfield option than the likes of Felix Nmecha and Ayyoub Bouaddi, both of whom would be considerably more expensive.
Man United’s apparent interest in Gomes might also fuel a desire from Liverpool chiefs to snap him up ahead of their arch-rivals and compound the frustration over the seemingly futile purusit of Ederson.
There’s a strong chance that the 25-year-old departs Wolves before the end of the summer transfer window, but his eventual destination is set to remain the subject of much intrigue.
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