Chelsea have reportedly dropped out of the race to sign Liverpool defender Joe Gomez. The Blues were one of the clubs who previously expressed their interest in the English defender. They had their eyes on Gomez but their primary focus was on completing Conor Gallagher’s move to Atletico Madrid and bringing back Joao Felix. Given the recent transfer developments at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have now shifted focus to trimming down their rather inflated squad. As per the Liverpool Echo, this has resulted in the London giants taking a step back from pursuing Gomez.
As for Gomez, the 27-year-old is said to be exploring his options this summer. It is now understood that Liverpool still have not been contacted by Chelsea over a potential deal for the English defender. While Chelsea do admire Gomez’s potential, they will now be focusing primarily on player exits at Stamford Bridge.
Amid this, the English defender’s camp continues to look for options before the deadline day. Another avenue that is also near to closing is Newcastle United who were involved in talks over a £45 million deal in June. But they also reportedly have their eyes on Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi and Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba. Successful deals for either of them would likely end any interest for Gomez.
Despite his pursuit of a role outside Anfield, Liverpool manager Arne Slot insists that Gomez remains a valuable part of the club. Slot offered an update surrounding Gomez recently. He was questioned about the side’s transfer business ahead of their game against Brentford. Speaking about Gomez’s absence in the team’s season opener, the Reds manager claimed the English defender was dealing with fitness issues ahead of their match against Ipswich Town. Slot is now hopeful of Gomez’s stay at Anfield beyond the deadline day next week.
As per multiple outlets, Slot said this in the pre-game press conference – “He [Joe Gomez] didn’t play a lot at the Euros and when he came back, in the first sessions, he couldn’t train the whole session so we had to manage his load a bit.” He added, “That was also the reason why he wasn’t in the team last Sunday. This week he had a good week in terms of load and how much he could do with the team.”
Liverpool will be taking on Brentford at Anfield on August 25. They will be eyeing three more points in their home fixture to establish themselves as major contenders for the league crown this season.
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