Liverpool finishes preseason in style and chase for La Liga star continues

Happy Monday wherever you are! We are now just days away from the kickoff of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

The Reds wrapped up their preseason work with a tidy bow at Anfield while the transfer saga's and rumors never slow. As ever, Rush the Kop is here to bring you all the biggest headlines from over the weekend to begin your week.

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

Liverpool rolls over Sevilla in final friendly with fans

All eyes were on Anfield on Sunday as Arne Slot watched his side put on a terrific performance from start to finish as they eased by La Liga side Sevilla 4-1.

It was yet another sterling day at the office for Liverpool who have shown they will be a force once again this season with wins over Real Betis, Arsenal, Manchester United and now Sevilla to call upon from their preseason work.

It will be particularly important to take note of Luis Diaz scoring two goals as he struggled for an end product for months at the tail end of last season.

Slot will be eager for him to carry over this momentum into the new campaign and it will be interesting to see if this secured him a starting role on Opening Day.

Overall, several established stars played well throughout preseason as did some youngsters, namely Trey Nyoni.

Zubimendi saga drags into a new week

The Real Sociedad defensive midfielder was expected to make a decision over the weekend about his future, but as of this writing that has not yet happened.

The La Liga side are not eager to lose one of their star players which is fair enough, and they have offered him a new contract. However, these terms are reportedly far less than what Liverpool can offer him.

In terms of negotiations, it appears that Michael Edwards is getting impatient with Sociedad and it is clear the club are ready to trigger his £51 million release clause to accelerate the matter.

With the new campaign now rapidly approaching, Slot and his staff will want this deal sorted sooner than later.

For now, we are in wait-and-see mode until the player decides to force the issue as well.

Fabio Carvalho a surprise sale

While Carvalho was having an excellent preseason under Slot, scoring a few goals, it apparently was not enough to convince the club of his long-term value.

In a somewhat surprising move, Liverpool sanctioned a sale of the 21-year old for £27.5m to Brentford. I think it's a case of the club selling early on a very talented player who clearly could have contributed at various times this season.

It will be interesting to see if these minutes might go to Nyoni who has shown he has a very high-ceiling as well.

As for Carvalho, it brings an end to his Reds career, one in which he never really got a chance to flourish and embed himself into the club.

His arrival on a pre-window agreement from Fulham as a teenager had a lot of us excited, but injuries and lack of chances ultimately proved too much to overcome.