Despite interest from Italy, England and Germany, Tyler Morton is now reportedly set to stay at Liverpool after an offer from Bayer Leverkusen was rejected.
Morton has been among those touted for a move away from Anfield throughout the summer transfer window, with the 21-year-old valued at £20 million.
But despite repeated links with the likes of Atalanta and RB Leipzig, the most likely deal before Friday’s deadline appeared to be a season-long loan to Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso’s side were widely reported to have made an offer to take Morton to the BayArena for the 2024/25 campaign, with guarantees of playing at least 50 percent of his available minutes.
However, it has since been revealed that Liverpool turned that approach down, with Sky Sports now claiming he is set to stay.
This comes amid interest from the likes of Red Bull Salzburg and Barcelona in Stefan Bajcetic, along with the failed pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
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Unless there is a late twist in the next two days it seems unlikely that Liverpool will sign an alternative to Zubimendi in the No. 6 role.
That leaves Ryan Gravenberch as Arne Slot‘s first choice having impressed in his current run in the role, with Wataru Endo his principal backup.
Morton was used as a deep-lying midfielder in pre-season and if he stays he would likely be employed as another option for the first team.
Given he is nearly 22 he would need to be registered as a senior player in the Premier League and Champions League, but he offers value in that too as he is classed as homegrown in both competitions.
Beyond that eligibility, Morton has genuine quality to offer Slot’s side – even if he is largely restricted to appearances in the domestic cups.
Whether this development is linked to any further interest in Endo – who was subject of a failed £11.8 million bid from Marseille earlier in the summer – remains to be seen.
But unless things change it seems as though Morton will be staying as part of the Liverpool squad at least until January.
