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With no signs Sevilla will be able to start the bidding war they wanted when leaking to the Spanish press that a deal to send Alberto Moreno to England was almost done, news of the left back's future has become sparse. Liverpool are believed to still be interested in the player, but with the club unwilling to raise their offer of around €20M it has become a waiting game.
Reports now suggest that with no other bidders on the horizon, Sevilla might be willing to accept Liverpool's offer—if the English club are willing to restructure the payment of Moreno's transfer fee such that more of it is paid this summer. Liverpool, like most buying clubs would be, are believed to prefer to pay the fee in equal instalments over a number of years.
This is not unusual in transfer dealings, where fees are typically structured to spread the transfer fee out over multiple seasons, and the arrival of financial fair play only makes such practices more important for a buying club looking to keep their books balanced. For the selling club, though, it's always preferable to see more of the cash up front.
Particularly for a club in La Liga that isn't Barcelona or Real Madrid, a few extra million now rather than down the road can make a massive difference, and so it isn't hugely surprising that if Liverpool's current offer is the best Sevilla are likely to get they would still push for more of the fee to be paid up front. Liverpool, though, appear to now be negotiating from a position of strength.
Real Madrid signed left back Fabio Coentrao to a new deal, ending any questions of whether they might bid for Moreno this summer. Tottenham have shown no interest in getting involved in a bidding war with Liverpool for the player. And Napoli have yet to return with an improved offer after launching a €15M bid in January.
Having made it clear they're willing to sell the player but unable to induce a bidding war, Sevilla are now negotiating from a weaker position, and Liverpool have little reason to make quick concessions in how they structure the fee. And so we wait.
