The Curtis Jones talks opened a door nobody was expecting.
And what walked through it had nothing to do with midfield.
Liverpool’s defensive situation has been a concern all summer.
Andoni Iraola has already described his back line as thin, following a 4-2 defeat to Leeds United.
And now a very specific solution has presented itself in the most unexpected of circumstances.
Liverpool hold further talks to sign PSG’s Illia Zabarnyi as defender’s camp uses Curtis Jones meetings to present surprise option
According to DaveOCKOP, Liverpool have held further talks with the entourage of PSG centre-back Zabarnyi, with the 23-year-old’s camp having initially presented him as an option during separate conversations at Anfield regarding Curtis Jones’ contract situation.
The connection between the two stories is direct.
When Jones’ representatives visited Liverpool to discuss the midfielder’s future amid Inter Milan’s persistent interest, they used the meeting to flag Zabarnyi’s availability, presenting the Ukrainian as a potential solution to a defensive department Iraola himself has acknowledged needs reinforcement.
Liverpool listened.
And then they went back for more.
DaveOCKOP can reveal that further talks between the player’s entourage and the club took place in the past few days — confirming that what began as an opportunistic introduction has evolved into a genuine line of enquiry.
Zabarnyi’s situation at PSG is curious.
He started 26 of their 28 Ligue 1 matches last season, a near-ever-present in the French top flight.
But when European football’s knockout rounds arrived, he was frozen out entirely.
Seven Champions League appearances.
Zero starts in the knockout ties.
A brief substitute cameo in the Champions League final as PSG lifted the trophy.
Luis Enrique doesn’t trust him at the highest level.
That is the gap Liverpool would be looking to exploit.
The numbers make any deal complex.
PSG paid a total package of £57 million to sign Zabarnyi from Bournemouth last summer.
They will want to protect that investment, and are unlikely to sanction a cut-price exit unless circumstances force their hand.
Iraola’s squad is currently without Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni, both easing back from injury, and the £60 million arrival of Jeremy Jacquet has helped without fully solving the problem.
Zabarnyi would.
The conversation is alive.
And it started because of Curtis Jones.
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