Giorgi Mamardashvili endears himself to Liverpool fans - and risks wrath of current club
Giorgi Mamardashvili has become the first Liverpool signing of the Arne Slot era but will remain at current club Valencia before moving to Anfield in the summer of 2025
Liverpool new boy Giorgi Mamardashvili changed his Instagram bio to put his new club front and centre... despite the fact he won't move to Anfield until 2025.
Georgia goalkeeper Mamardashvili became Liverpool's first senior signing of the Arne Slot era after an agreement with Valencia was reached. He won't move to the Premier League club until next year, though, with Valencia keeping him on board for another season.
His Instagram bio now has three teams tagged. Liverpool come first, followed by the Georgian national team, with Valencia now relegated to third on the list.
"Does he know he's staying at Valencia an extra year?" joked one fan on social media. "He's already charming me by his strong desire to play for us," was the verdict from another.
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick itREAD MORE: Federico Chiesa price tag underlines Arne Slot decision as Liverpool set transfer conditions"Liverpool have reached an agreement for the transfer of Giorgi Mamardashvili, subject to a work permit and international clearance – with the Valencia goalkeeper set to move to Anfield ahead of the 2025-26 season," a Liverpool statement read. "The Reds have secured a deal for the 23-year-old that will see him stay in Spain for the remainder of the current campaign with Los Che before switching to Merseyside next summer.
"They do so on the back of an impressive Euro 2024 tournament for Mamardashvili with Georgia, in which they reached the Round of 16. His 21 saves during the three group-stage games were the joint-most of any goalkeeper in the tournament’s history.
"The ’keeper, who has a total of 21 caps for his country to date, will spend one further season with Valencia, where he has been for three years since transferring from Dinamo Tbilisi in 2021. So far, Mamardashvili has tallied 102 appearances for the La Liga side and kept 31 clean sheets in all competitions, starting both of their fixtures so far this term, against Barcelona and Celta Vigo."
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The deal for Mamardashvili came on the same day Liverpool confirmed a loan exit for Owen Beck. The young defender will spend the season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, where Reds stars Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton previously impressed.
Mamardashvili is set to cost the Reds an initial £25m plus up to £4m in add-ons, equivalent to around half of the sum they have brought in through the sales of Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg and Bobby Clark. Carvalho and Van den Berg have both moved to Brentford, with Clark joining former Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg.
Reds manager Slot has a few days left to get further deals over the line, with Juventus winger Federico Chiesa a potential target. Juve are reported to want just £12.7m for the Italy international, who is in the final year of his contract.
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