Arne Slot suffers blow as exciting Liverpool and Barcelona deal 'goes completely dead'

Liverpool have reportedly been dealt a significant blow in their pursuit of Barcelona star Pedri, with the midfielder showing no desire to leave the Camp Nou outfit this summer. Arne Slot is plotting a major overhaul at Anfield over the summer, though he will need to turn his attention to alternative targets.

With Jurgen Klopp leaving the Reds at the end of the season, the summer transfer window has been highlighted as the ideal opportunity to kickstart the next stage of their rebuild. Several stars are expected to be offloaded, with new contracts handed out to key players for the short and long term, such as Jarrell Quansah.

The window also allows those who would like to head elsewhere the opportunity to depart before Slot’s project reaches top speed, with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez among a host of names who are reportedly at risk of being placed on the chopping block.

Liverpool began their rebuild last summer when Klopp orchestrated a major shakeup of his midfield ranks, and further acquisitions in central areas should not be ruled out. Reports in Spain have claimed that the Reds are in the running to secure the signature of Barca playmaker Pedri.

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However, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Spain international is ‘super committed’ to the Catalan giants. Therefore, everything is ‘completely quiet’ on the Pedri to Liverpool front, with Barcelona viewing the midfielder as an integral part of their project.

The Reds will therefore need to turn their attention to alternative targets if Pedri is shortlisted as a potential option after it was claimed he was available for approximately £70million, which would have been a bargain given that he has made over 150 appearances at 21 and is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in Europe.