According to a report from AS in Spain, Liverpool tried to sign Matheus Cunha from Atletico Madrid before making their move for Porto star Luis Diaz.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been really quiet all window, but they came to life yesterday. A number of outlets revealed that the Reds have tabled a bid for Diaz and it looks like it’s only a matter of time before that deal will be done.
However, Diaz, apparently, wasn’t Liverpool’s preferred target.
Cunha, who joined Atletico Madrid from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin for £22 million last year (Goal), was reportedly the man Klopp wanted at Anfield this month.
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Liverpool preferred Matheus Cunha over Luis Diaz
Cunha, who has only scored five goals and provided two assists in 23 appearances for Atleti, has struggled for game time. He is behind Ex-Liverpool star Luis Suarez in the pecking order and has only been given a little over 650 minutes of game time all season by Diego Simeone.
Seeing that, Klopp believed he could swoop in for the Brazilian’s signature, but Atletico Madrid blocked that move straight away. The report claims that Simeone views the 22-year-old as ‘a footballer of great importance’ and has ruled out an exit this month.
As a result, Klopp turned his attention to Diaz and that move looks like it will be done either today or tomorrow. However, don’t rule out Liverpool going back in for Cunha in the summer
Cunha may not have set La Liga on fire yet, but he is a brilliant young player. He is hugely versatile and can play anywhere in attack.
He is, in a way, perfect for Roberto Firmino’s false-nine role at Liverpool, which is probably why Klopp was so keen to sign him. However, it doesn’t look like it will happen, at least not in this window.
Labelled as an ‘extraordinary‘ player by former Inter Milan ace Paolo Tramezzani, Cunha is definitely one to keep an eye on. He is a fine talent and the fact that he’s still only 22 means that he’ll only get better in the years to come.
It will be interesting to see if Liverpool will make a move for Cunha in the summer, especially if Roberto Firmino, who will enter the final year of contract, moves on.
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