Liverpool must reconsider their forward options in the summer transfer market after Loïc Rémy’s proposed £8m move from Queens Park Rangers collapsed on medical grounds, although the club strenthened their defence on Sunday night by signing Dejan Lovren from Southampton.
Rémy was expected to complete his switch from Loftus Road during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, having undergone a medical in Boston early last week. Personal terms had been agreed with the France international and the deal had progressed so far that Liverpool had offered the striker the No7 shirt vacated by Luis Suárez.
On Friday, the delay in confirming Rémy as Liverpool’s fifth summer signing was attributed to administrative issues but the club pulled out of the deal on Sunday. Liverpool declined to comment on the reasons for the deal’s collapse but their decision is understood to be final and the manager, Brendan Rodgers, will now consider alternative targets.
The Anfield club have signed Rickie Lambert from Southampton but require greater strength up front after the sale of Suárez to Barcelona for £75m. A release clause in Rémy’s contract with QPR made the former Marseille striker, who scored 14 Premier League goals on loan at Newcastle United last season, an attractive proposition to Rodgers as the manager seeks overall improvement to his squad. Wilfried Bony, the Swansea City striker, was under consideration before the move for the cheaper Rémy.
Liverpool have bought Lovren, a commanding central defender, for £20m. The Croatia international has become the club’s fifth summer signing – after Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Lazar Markovic – having undergone a medical on Merseyside on Saturday.
But the collapse of the Rémy deal is the second serious setback for Rodgers in a matter of days after new £25m recruit Lallana suffered a knee-ligament injury in training. The former Southampton captain will miss the start of the new Premier League season, although he does not require surgery and is staying with the Liverpool squad in the US rather than returning to Melwood for treatment.
“It was very disappointing – it’s probably going to be four to six weeks,” said Rodgers before Liverpool’s pre-season friendly against Olympiakos in Chicago. “He has looked fantastic in training; it was just a very simple exercise with no pressure. The medical team are looking closely at that at the moment. We’re hopeful that he’ll come back fairly quickly but there’s no rush. He’s a fantastic player, we just need to get him back fit and well because it’s a long season.”
Meanwhile, a report in Spain has claimed Barcelona are considering making a £12m offer for the Liverpool defender Daniel Agger, whose Anfield future is in doubt amid the imminent arrival of Lovren.
Source: The Guardian
Liverpool vs. Olympiako
Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago
Date: Sunday, July 27
Time: 11 p.m. BST/6 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)/Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (U.K.)/Fox Sports website (U.S.)/ROJADIRECTA