Liverpool to scout TWO stars in Wednesday UCL clash, as Arsenal, Aston Villa mirror Reds approach

Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa will all scout a pair of Girona stars in their Champions League clash with PSG on Wednesday night, and a report has outlined why moves as early as the January window are possible.

Girona will not only make their Champions League debut on Wednesday night when battling PSG in Paris, but the contest will also mark the first time they’ve played European football of any kind.

Girona fall under the overarching City Group umbrella and through the exploits of the likes of Savinho and Artem Dovbyk, secured a remarkable third-placed finish in LaLiga last year.

However, Savinho has since been sold to Manchester City and Dovbyk – LaLiga’s top scorer with 24 goals last term – joined Roma. According to a fresh update from Caught Offside, Miguel Gutierrez and Viktor Tsygankov could be next to leave.

They state Premier League powerhouses Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa will have scouts in Paris for Girona’s UCL clash on Wednesday night. All three clubs will reportedly monitor both left-back Gutierrez and right winger Tsygankov.

Encouragingly for the English sides, Caught Offside stated both players are ‘believed to be keen on a move to the Premier League if the chance arose.’

Furthermore, Girona are not averse to cashing in on both players if the ‘right offers’ were lodged. How much each player is valued at individually was not made clear, though the report concluded a fee in the €70m-€75m range would be enough to seal a double coup.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Liverpool first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Arsenal inertia could aid Liverpool, Aston Villa

Journalist Mateo Moretto has also named Arsenal as being in the mix for Gutierrez specifically.

Real Madrid – Gutierrez’s boyhood club – also hold an €8m (£6.7m) buyback option for Gutierrez, or a 50 percent sell-on clause. The 23-year-old is a product of Los Blancos’ academy and left in 2022 in pursuit of more playing time.

Real Madrid are understood to be ‘unlikely’ to bring Gutierrez back to the Bernabeu to play, however, with Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia already there. Alphonso Davies is also in line to arrive on a free transfer from Bayern Munich next summer.

The door is therefore ajar for the English sides and Moretto claimed a bid of €40m (£34m / $45m) would get the green light from Girona.

However, TEAMtalk understands Arsenal are only likely to move for Gutierrez in January if able to offload one or both of Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Gunners already have Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior who can occupy the left-back berth.

Failure to sell either Tierney and/or Zinchenko would seemingly narrow the race down to Liverpool and Aston Villa. Liverpool’s first choice in the position remains Andy Robertson, though he’s now the wrong side of 30.

Kostas Tsimikas provides back-up, though while the Greek is generally solid he’s far from spectacular. Gutierrez would represent an upgrade.

Liverpool eyeing Tah / Alexander-Arnold future heating up

In other news, Liverpool’s interest in signing Bayer Leverkusen centre-back, Jonathan Tah, has been confirmed.

Tah, 28, is potentially available via free agency next summer having entered the final year of his deal with Leverkusen. Bayern Munich – who repeatedly tried to sign Tah over the summer – would pose a threat.

Elsewhere, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been re-affirmed as a serious transfer target for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos hope to sign the right-back as well as Rodri and one of William Saliba or Cristian Romero in 2025.

However, TEAMtalk understands Alexander-Arnold is happy at Anfield and is open to signing a new deal. The 25-year-old also spoke fondly of new boss Arne Slot in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over AC Milan on Tuesday night.

What type of players would English trio be signing?

Gutierrez came through the academy at Real Madrid and Manchester United tried to sign him in 2017, but the then-16-year-old decided to stay at his boyhood club.

He made 10 first-team appearances for Madrid before joining Girona in 2022 and was named in the LaLiga Team of the Season in 2023/24.

The left-back is solid defensively but is renowned for his technical skills and attacking qualities, and he registered nine assists in all competitions last season.

Tsygankov had more humble beginnings, starting his career in the academy systems at Nyva Vinnytsia and Dynamo Kyiv.

He registered 94 goals and 64 assists in 236 appearances for Dynamo Kyiv and won the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year award in 2018, following in the footsteps of Andriy Shevchenko.

The left-footed right winger is now thriving at Girona, and he is known for his pace, dribbling ability and willingness to run at opposition defenders.

“He is a dynamic winger who likes cutting inside but is also effective down the byline,” journalist Andrew Toddos told Fotmob.

“He links well with his full back when it comes to overlaps, has a good delivery from a crossing perspective, and is calm and collected under pressure.

“He’s a composed finisher inside and outside the box, who can come in late at the back post or score from outside the area.”