Fabrizio Romano confirms Liverpool missed out on perfect Conor Bradley replacement

Liverpool have already managed to sign their first player of the summer with Victor Munoz making the move to Anfield from Osasuna.

And, although during Jurgen Klopp's era this would've probably been one of the Reds' only signings, thanks to their poor performances during the 2025-26 season, several more players still need to be added to their ranks.

There are many areas among Liverpool's squad that could do with a new player or two and, since Andoni Iraola has been appointed as their new head coach, fans can expect moves to start occurring more regularly.

As has always been the case, the Anfield outfit have been linked with a plethora of talented players already with some moves working out and others not.

And, unfortunately for the Reds, one of their moves collapsed almost instantly, resulting in the club having to pivot away from their original plans.

Liverpool made a bid for Denzel Dumfries before he joined Real Madrid

Liverpool's main problem areas during the 2025-26 campaign was their right-back.

At least five different players were deployed there throughout the season with Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones even having a stint as Arne Slot's full-back.

This is obviously far from ideal for any team but, since Liverpool were supposed to be challenging for the Premier League title, it was a disaster.

Liverpool's lack of depth led to the club searching for a new right-back in January with Lutsharel Geertruida and Denzel Dumfries the two main players on their shortlist.

Neither of the players ended up making the switch but that didn't stop the club from making another bid for Dumfries this summer.

That is, if a fresh update from Fabrizio Romano about the Dutchman's situation is to be believed.

"When Denzel Dumfries went to Real Madrid, Liverpool made a late call to understand the situation. Whether it was possible to enter the race, to discuss terms, but the player wanted to go to Spain," he said on the Born n' Red Podcast.

"Dumfries was already a target in the January window."

Denzel Dumfries would have been an ideal transfer for Liverpool

Conor Bradley's injury history is one of the main reasons why Liverpool are looking for a new right-back this summer.

On his day, the Northern Irishman is one of the best full-backs in the Premier League with Pep Guardiola even singing his praises in the past.

However, since he's unreliable and Jeremie Frimpong is clearly not a right-back, Iraola and Hughes need to get on the hunt for a new defender.

Although the right-back is now 30 years old, his release clause was only worth around £25 million which would have made him a more than decent signing.

And, as per Fotmob, throughout the entire Serie A season the defender won 30 aerial duels and 65 ground duels while only being dribbled past 10 times.

Attacking-wise, he was also fairly impressive as he had 73 touches in his opponents box and created 13 chances throughout the Serie A season.

Granted, he'd have certainly been more of a stop-gap solution than a long-term option but, for the price Real Madrid paid and the wealth of experience he has, Dumfries would have been an exceptional replacement for Bradley.

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