Asier Illarramendi: Why Liverpool Have No Interest in Real Madrid Midfielder

With Liverpool having learned from the mistakes of previous summers and ensured their transfer business was done with little fuss and well before the season itself gets underway, the tabloids have been left scraping around for transfer stories.

Over a fortnight ago, as the deal for Christian Benteke was being finalised, several Liverpool correspondents reported that the Reds' business for the summer was done. MailOnline's Dominic King explained that the only possible addition could be at left-back, where Paris Saint-Germain's Lucas Digne was attracting interest.

More recently, in an interview with Sky Sports News, the club's chief executive, Ian Ayre, explained that all the Reds' objectives for the summer had been met.

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"We set out a plan with Brendan [Rodgers] at the start of the summer," said Ayre, per This Is Anfield. "The objectives that the manager wanted to achieve, we’ve achieved all of them, so we’re very pleased with the way the summer’s gone."

Having signed seven players, plus the addition of Divock Origi from loan, Rodgers' squad has had quite the overhaul for a second summer in succession.

"With half a new team coming in, we want to keep improving the dynamic and cohesion of the team," Rodgers told Press Association (h/t the Guardian) over a fortnight ago.

Alas, with back pages to fill with no competitive matches taking place and no international tournament this summer, the tabloid press have still attempted to link Liverpool with players they seemingly have absolutely no interest in signing.

One needs only to visit the rather bemusing and embarrassing media watch section of Liverpool's official website to find names such as Toni Kroos—yes, really—and Alexandre Lacazette being linked to the club by tenuous stories on Metro.co.uk.

Why Liverpool's official website feels it is necessary to give such speculative reports further airtime is baffling.

What then happens is the more reliable newspapers, such as the Telegraph, Guardian and Liverpool Echo, regurgitate these stories in some form of transfer rumour roundup, thus indirectly giving credibility to the reports and leading some to wrongly think it is those sources reporting the news.

This is the case with another rumour this week, linking Liverpool will Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi.

The news is reported in the Independent, who cite "reports in Spain" claiming "Brendan Rodgers is preparing to launch a £15 million bid for the player."

Clearly, Illarramendi is a decent player and might well be a good acquisition for Liverpool—if they were actually interested.

The quite obvious point here is that Liverpool are already very well stocked, probably overstocked, in centre-midfield.

Rodgers has the trio of Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and Joe Allen available to compete for the more defensive role within a midfield three.

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Then there are the two almost guaranteed starters in Jordan Henderson and James Milner—who may even form a two-man midfield pivot if Rodgers opts for a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Further forward, there's Philippe Coutinho, who can operate either as a traditional No. 10 behind the centre-forward or deeper within a midfield three. Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, who can both operate in that role just in front of the midfield, must also be accounted for.

Behind those established players, there are youngsters Jordan Rossiter and Joao Carlos Teixeira, who will be keen to make an impression this season—especially with the opportunities the UEFA Europa League will bring.

Indeed, there are six first-team players—Lucas, Allen, Can, Henderson, Milner and Coutinho—competing for three or four midfield spots. Already, there will be some disappointed players when the team is named for the Stoke City match on Sunday.

Where Illarramendi would fit in would be a question worth asking those writing these reports linking Liverpool to the Spaniard.

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The 25-year-old might have been a good signing had, for instance, Lucas left the club, as some may have predicted this summer. But even then, it's difficult to see Illarramendi leaving the Bernabeu without being guaranteed a first-team place at Anfield.

It's fair to say Illarramendi won't be heading to Merseyside this summer, unless something rather dramatic changes.