Liverpool transfer news: Jürgen Klopp supposedly has eyes on a possible Thiago replacement while a monster offer has been submitted for Kylian Mbappé — apparently.
Liverpool has made an almost perfect start to the summer transfer window. Before pre-season has begun, two key parts of the rebuild have already taken place, with the first set of players set to return to the AXA Training Centre on Saturday.
In Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool has changed up two-thirds of its midfield and there could be more to come, both in that position and also further back in Jürgen Klopp’s defense.
It needed to be a big summer window to get Liverpool back on track again, but the Reds have made an excellent start with that, moving before plenty of rivals to snap up two top stars.
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That, though, is not going to be enough to satiate the appetite of the Liverpool fanbase. Two midfield signings, even of that quality, does not constitute a rebuild.
Almost as soon as Szoboszlai was through the door and his picture had been taken with his new number eight shirt, the Hungarian was forgotten in lieu of whoever might come in next.
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today, with the first link much more likely to happen than the second one…
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today, with the first link much more likely to happen than the second one…
Roméo Lavia (Southampton)
Liverpool is willing to offload Thiago Alcântara this summer and could bring in $64m (£50m/€58m)-rated Southampton midfield starlet Roméo Lavia as his replacement, according to The Telegraph.
Thiago is courting interest from the Saudi Pro League and has, according to The Athletic, already rejected an offer from a club in the region. But with the Spaniard’s contract up next summer, a move away from Liverpool cannot be ruled out.
Lavia, meanwhile, has emerged as the next midfielder on the agenda for Liverpool, with the Reds weighing up their next move in the transfer market after the arrival of Szoboszlai earlier this week.
Liverpool.com says: Lavia would be a good long-term option for the Reds, and while he would not be a direct replacement for Thiago, it would be a case of swapping one out and bringing one in. Liverpool does not necessarily need more midfield numbers thanks to a much better injury record of the ones that are now present.
Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Liverpool and Kylian Mbappé: a story that just keeps on giving. This time, journalist Edu Aguirre, speaking to El Chiringuito TV, has claimed that the Reds have made a whopping $217m (£171m/€200m) offer for the Frenchman, who PSG has placed up for sale.
PSG does not want to lose Mbappé for free next summer, with the 24-year-old having made it clear that he has no intention of signing an extension with the Ligue 1 side.
But the most realistic place for Mbappé to end up is Real Madrid. That has been the case for some time with Liverpool well aware of his talent and ability — but also his price tag.
Liverpool.com says: It is simply not possible that the Reds would spend that sort of money on one player. While it would be less than Neymar’s move to PSG from Barcelona, it is just not going to happen. Mbappé would cost a vast amount in wages, let alone the transfer fee, and Liverpool is never going to sanction it.
