Liverpool did offer Mason Mount a contract worth up to £250,000 a week only for the player to agree to a similar proposal from Manchester United instead, according to The Athletic.
Up until last month, it was felt that the Reds were in pole position to sign the England international from Chelsea, but he ultimately decided to make the move to Old Trafford.
While a few fans on Twitter were disappointed that the club missed out on Mount, most are relieved that the deal didn’t go ahead:
We actually dodged a bullet
— lxwis (@lxwiswya) July 5, 2023
W for Liverpool
— Ayo Midey🥷🏾 (@Mideflow) July 5, 2023
Szoboszlai is 10 times the player!!! We got the better deal
— Gary Júlio (@GazJulio1988) July 5, 2023
Thank you Mason
— 💰💪🏾👊🏾 (@Shinobi_187) July 5, 2023
First time I’ve been happy United stole a player from us. We ended up with a player whose 100000000x better and already loves the club
— Tarek (@tareLFC) July 5, 2023
Thank you for choosing them 🙏🏿🙏🏿
— Syfron (@syfron) July 5, 2023
Good. Didn’t want him anyway.
— Phil (@NuckingFuts24) July 5, 2023
The relief is palpable. 😀
— Jillian Chantal (@JillianChantal) July 5, 2023
Szoboszlai was the Mount alternative
There was no doubt that manager Jurgen Klopp wanted Mount at Anfield, but the club moved swiftly on to signing another target when it became clear he wasn’t going to come.
Dominik Szoboszlai cost the exact same amount, but he is two years younger and had a better 2022/23 season than Mount.
Of course, he is untested in the Premier League so there are still doubts about whether spending £60m upfront on the Hungarian international will prove to be the right decision. His potential is, however, not in dispute.
Liverpool could still be in the market for another midfielder
Despite recruiting Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister for a combined £95m, there are reports suggesting that Klopp may still want to add numbers in the middle of the park.
Talks with Southampton about signing Romeo Lavia have reportedly taken place but it remains to be seen whether a formal bid is lodged for the Belgian.
