Liverpool deal for PSG star can't happen until 2027

Liverpool deal for PSG star can't happen until 2027 Rewind a few weeks and Liverpool were facing a centre-back crisis. Virgil van Dijk didn’t travel for the preseason tour to the United States leaving head coach Andoni Iraola with a dearth of viable options. Jeremy Jacquet was still struggling with injury - along with Giovanni Leoni - while Joe Gomez’s injury on tour added to the problems. With Ibrahima Konate departed for Real Madrid we saw Mor Talla Ndiaye, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and even Luke Chambers all entrusted with starting duties. Given Ndukwe wouldn’t be eligible for the season ahead owing to visa issues this was a far from ideal scenario. But the picture has eased somewhat since then. Araujo signing eases centre-back crisis Jacquet has made his unofficial debut, Van Dijk is back in the ranks and Liverpool have also sealed the loan signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona for the season. Far from facing a centre-back shortage Iraola now has an abundance of options at his disposal with Leoni still to return from his ACL injury. And that addition of Araujo, at a cost of around £180k per week, has put paid to the Anfield side’s attempts to sign Illia Zabarnyi for this summer at least. Liverpool won't be signing Zabarnyi That’s according to a report in TEAMtalk which claims that something extraordinary must now happen for Liverpool to sign the Paris Saint-Germain defender in the current transfer period. “Liverpool have been linked with the 23-year-old, who previously thrived under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth,” the report reads. “However, the Reds already possess a strong defensive group featuring Ronald Araujo, Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomes. “Any arrival of Zabarnyi would require the club to create space in the squad, as the defender is understood to seek regular first-team football rather than a peripheral role. “With competition for places already intense, Liverpool would need to carefully manage their options before committing to a significant outlay for the PSG man – a scenario which, at the current time, appears unlikely and no longer a priority at Anfield following the capture of Araujo from Barcelona earlier this month.” Zabarnyi a long-term Liverpool target Zabarnyi joined Iraola at Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv back in 2023 - going on to establish himself as a key member of the backline at Dean Court. In summer 2025 he moved to PSG for around £57m but hasn’t always been the top choice for Luis Enrique in the biggest games. Accordingly he has been linked with a Premier League return but any reunion with the Basque tactico is likely to have to wait one more year at least. By then Van Dijk and Gomez will be out of contract and it’s highly likely that Araujo will be returning to Barcelona after his loan deal ends.