Liverpool have been brutally mocked by the Spanish press after Martin Zubimendi became the latest player to snub the Premier League side.
The midfielder turned down a move to Anfield this week despite 'giving them his word', opting instead to stay at his boyhood side Real Sociedad.
Spain's European Championship winner was identified as a top priority for Arne Slot's men this window and Liverpool believed they could tempt him away from La Real. He had previously rejected the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
But it appears the move is off, with Zubimendi convinced to stay by a charm offensive led by manager Imanol Alguacil with arguments centred around the good food options in the Basque region and the footballer's hobby of hiking up Mount Ulia.
Now Spanish website AS.com has rubbed salt into Slot's wounds by writing an article titled 'nobody wants to go to Liverpool'.
Liverpool have been brutally mocked by the Spanish press after Martin Zubimendi became the latest player to snub the Premier League side
The midfielder turned down a move to Arne Slot's side this week despite 'giving them his word'
Zubimendi was convinced to stay by a charm offensive from Real Sociedad that was led by manager Imanol Alguacil
The sports site is quick to point out that the Merseyside team are the only Premier League side to have not signed a player this window after letting a number of targets slip through their fingertips.
The article then recalls the long list of players who have rejected the Anfield outfit in recent times, adding that the club has struggled to replace midfielder Fabinho following his departure last summer.
They list Aurélien Tchouameni, Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia among the stars who have chosen elsewhere, with the second two opting for Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2023.
Meanwhile, Frenchman Tchouameni chose an €80m move to Real Madrid over a transfer to Liverpool.
AS.com drive the point home by recalling that England midfielder Jude Bellingham also ended up at Madrid after being heavily linked with the Reds, while Chelsea's record signing Enzo Fernandez was also a target for the Anfield side.
To add insult to injury, they note that Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso turned down the chance to succeed Jurgen Klopp as the club's manager, choosing to remain loyal to German side Bayer Leverkusen instead.
The website does accept that some players have taken the plunge and joined the Reds, including Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, but that they had had 'too many transfer windows in a row and have found it difficult to convince their targets'.
Liverpool thought they had their hands on Zubimendi only to be scuppered by an unusual sales pitch from Alguacil which saw the boss talk about how his player had told Spanish TV he would stay at La Real after the Euros final.
AS.com drive the point home by recalling that England midfielder Jude Bellingham ended up at Madrid after being heavily linked with the Reds
Chelsea's record signing Enzo Fernandez was also a target for the Anfield side
To add insult to injury, they note that Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso turned down the chance to succeed Jurgen Klopp
They list Moisés Caicedo among the stars who have chosen elsewhere, with the midfielder opting for Chelsea in 2023
Liverpool were prepared to pay the required money to land Zubimendi — he has a £52million (€60m) release clause — and also offered him a big financial incentive to move to England.
But the player did not fancy leaving Sociedad, his local club where he made his name.
The Reds believe they have adequate options in the holding midfield area with Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo able to play there. Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold have also been earmarked to play there.