Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris scuppered proposed Liverpool swoop with late transfer call - report
Sunderland reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Mexican winger Chino Huerta in the latter stages of the transfer window
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris’ refusal to take Mexican winger César ‘Chino’ Huerta on loan in the closing stages of the transfer window scuppered Liverpool’s plans of signing the 23-year-old on a permanent basis, according to reports.
The Reds were linked with a late swoop for the Club Universidad Nacional attacker last week, with the general consensus being that he would then have arrived on Wearside for a temporary stint at the Stadium of Light as part of any agreement. As per TUDN, however, a large part of the reason that Huerta’s transfer to Anfield did not materialise was because Sunderland boss Le Bris was not keen on the idea of the Mexican international joining up with his squad.
These claims are seemingly backed up by club president Luis Raúl González Pérez, who stated: “It had nothing to do with the club or his intention, on the contrary, they recognised the qualities of Huerta. External circumstances of the teams themselves that envisioned it could not materialise. I repeat, not because of the quality of Huerta, but because of external circumstances.”
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Meanwhile, Club Universidad Nacional manager Gustavo Lema has taken a positive view of Liverpool’s interest in his player, despite the fact that an agreement could not be reached. He added: “Chino was scouted by one of the best clubs in the world and that’s a source of pride. What are you going to tell people? That you have a player that Liverpool wanted? No, people want to win and that’s their right. We can’t tell people anything.”
The report goes on to suggest that Liverpool have been so impressed with the manner in which Club Universidad Nacional conducted negotiations that they would be willing to revisit the prospect of a transfer in a future window. For his part, Huerta has started the season in decent form, scoring three goals in nine outings across all competitions. He has also amassed nine caps for Mexico at senior international level. Ostensibly a left winger, Huerta is capable of playing on the opposite flank and through the centre of a front three as well.