Manchester United target to be loaned back with rivals 'pushing' for transfer
Manchester United have until the deadline to complete any incoming or outgoing business
Liverpool are ‘pushing’ to land Manchester United-linked goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili before the end of the transfer window, according to reporter Fabrizio Romano. The player would remain on loan at Valencia this season if Arne Slot’s side get their man.
In this latest update regarding his situation, journalist Romano has posted on X: “Liverpool are pushing to seal Giorgi Mamardashvili deal with new contacts with Valencia already scheduled. One more meeting will take place as agreement is done on €35m fee plus sell-on clause, still negotiating on deal structure. Giorgi would stay at Valencia on loan.”
The Mirror have recently claimed that United are admirers of the stopper but it appears they may well lose out on his signature to their Premier League rivals. The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 away at Brighton and Hove Albion over the weekend at the AMEX Stadium.
United could see Mamardashvili, who is 23-years-old, as a long-term option between the sticks and someone to compete with Andrea Onana for their number one spot down the line. He has been on the books at Valencia since joining them in 2021 and has been their first choice over recent times.
He is valued at £38million on Transfermarkt and is under contract with the La Liga outfit until June 2027. Therefore, they haven’t been under too much no pressure to cash in on him recently but the fact Liverpool plan to send him back on a temporary basis may have helped their cause.
Mamardashvili has made 21 caps for the Georgia national team and caught the eye at Euro 2024 in Germany. He helped his country get out of their group in Germany against the odds and firmly put himself in the shop window.
The Tbilisi-born man started his career with spells as a youngster at FC Gagra and Dinamo Tbilisi. He never made a senior appearance for either though and was loaned out by the latter to FC Rustavi and Locomotive Tbilisi in the Erovnuli Liga to get some experience under his belt before moving to Spain when Valencia came calling.
The ‘keeper has become a key player at the Mestella Stadium and has played 101 appearances in all competitions to date, 37 of which came last season. As well as Onana, United also have Altay Bayındır at their disposal in goal if needed.
The 26-year-old moved over to Old Trafford a year ago from Fenerbahce and has since made one outing under Ten Hag. They also have the experience of Tom Heaton to call on if required. At the age of 38 though, he won’t be with them for too much longer so some more youth needs to be injected into that department at some point. With Mamardashvili seemingly heading to Liverpool now though, they will need to find other options.