Football Benchmark’s analysis has identified the transactions with the largest overpayments.
Liverpool is still actively searching for further reinforcements as the summer transfer window nears its conclusion.
After losing out to Chelsea for both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Liverpool, who earlier this month acquired Japan’s captain Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart for £16.2 million, is attempting to sign 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. The midfielder has been a long-time target for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.
Ajax is owed a portion of any transaction involving the midfielder, and Bayern have only had Gravenberch for a little over a year after paying the Eredivisie club €18 million (£15.4 million) for his services, with €5 million (£4.3 million) in prospective add-ons, therefore a fee of £25 million has been proposed as a need to acquire the player.
After having numerous offers below Southampton’s £50 million asking price rejected, Liverpool then moved on to Lavia. The Reds then attempted to save the agreement by making a bigger offer when Chelsea went above the asking fee. But it was already too late.
The Reds’ summer transfer season had begun with the great signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who at a combined £95 million immediately appear to be astute additions capable of raising the bar at Anfield. The entire transfer drama was a very embarrassing ordeal for the Reds. However, the Caicedo and Lavia agreements caused Liverpool to swerve from their typical course and leave them looking foolish, while Chelsea emerged victorious by paying such astronomical sums and driving up the prices of both players.
It is hoped that Gravenberch would perform in the same manner as Mac Allister and Szobozslai, players who already appear to be capable of performing at a level that is significantly higher than the price tags they carried.
The summer transfer window was examined by Football Benchmark analysts to determine who scored a great deal and who overpaid. One transaction that was abandoned early because it was thought to be financially prohibitive has been viewed as the largest bargain of the window, while two of the signings Liverpool had been pursuing rank in the top five of the biggest overpayments.
When it comes to overpaying, Football Benchmark has ranked the Caicedo deal at the top of the list. The gifted midfielder joined for £4.5 million from Ecuadorian Serie A, although he has only appeared in 45 Premier League games and has no experience in European competition.
