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For more than a week now, the deal to bring Alberto Moreno to Liverpool has seemed on the verge of completion, and hardly a day has passed without reports out of Spain suggesting the fullback was preparing to head to Liverpool to undergo a medical and wrap up a deal worth between €20-22M. Today there are suggestions, reportedly out of Anfield, that those stories may have been the result of Sevilla trying to spark a bidding war.
Reports in the Telegraph and Mirror tonight citing sources within the club both claim that a deal has not been struck and the player is not on his way to England. Rather than being content with the €20M offer Liverpool are widely reported to have tabled, Sevilla have been pushing for €22M up front and so far Liverpool have baulked. In an attempt to lure other bidders out of the woodwork, Sevilla may be feeding news of a nearly completed deal to local media.
Given stories of said nearly completed deal have been emanating out of Spain for more than a week now, if it is all an attempt to drum up a bidding war, it's fair to say Sevilla aren't having all that much luck at it. To date, Napoli have shown no sign of returning with an improved bid after offering around €15M in January, Madrid have sorted any left back questions by signing Fabio Coentrao to a new deal, and Tottenham have signalled they aren't going to be in for Moreno.
If the deal is stalled, then, Liverpool may still have the upper hand with no sign yet of a bidding war being on the verge starting—and assuming Sevilla's antics don't push them towards other options. And assuming the deal really is stalled and he isn't leaning on things at Melwood tomorrow. Given the way the Moreno story has meandered about for the past week, about all that's certain is Liverpool have made a bid of around €20M and the fullback is their top defensive target.
Beyond that, just how close any deal is to being done—or undone—seems to depend on who you ask and what time of day it is.
