Reported €40m fee 

©TM/IMAGO

Liverpool are closing in on their first signing of the summer in Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Athletic have reported that the Merseyside club are finalising terms with Valencia over a €40m deal to sign the goalkeeper. Mamardashvili starred for Georgia at the European Championships this summer and he’s widely regarded as one of the best goalkeeping talents in the world.

The 23-year-old, however, won’t move to Anfield this summer as the deal will see him return to Valencia on-loan for the remainder of the campaign. Alisson is Liverpool’s undisputed No.1 but the Brazilian turns 32 next month and the imminent signing of Mamardashvili represents future planning from Liverpool. Caoimhin Kelleher represents a quality back-up goalkeeper but the Irish international’s contract expires in 2026 and his ambitions to become first-choice will likely see him seek a new challenge next summer, so signing Mamardashvili is a shrewd investment from Liverpool.

Why Liverpool are signing Giorgi Mamardashvili

Arne Slot’s men will seal the signature of a potentially world class goalkeeper in Mamardashvili, allow him to develop for another season in La Liga before making a decision over their No.1 next summer – when Alisson will have two years left on his contract. As the graphic below illustrates, Mamardashvili is the joint-most valuable goalkeeper in the world on Transfermarkt with Porto’s Diogo Costa.

According to various reports, Liverpool are poised to sign Mamardashvili for slightly below his market value and his valuation is expected to rise as he develops. The Georgian international’s market value soared by €20m across last season, where he made 37 La Liga appearances for Valencia keeping 13 clean sheets. Mamardashvili was arguably the standout goalkeeper at Euro 2024 and he kept a clean sheet in the shock 2-0 win over Portugal as Georgia progressed into the knockout stages for the first time in their history.