Liverpool’s midfield recruitment drive continues with Alexis Mac Allister already being added and now Inter Milan’s playmaker Nicolo Barella is being eyed by Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool have moved quickly to bolster their midfield ranks following several departures.
The likes of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all moved on and Alexis Mac Allister has come in from Brighton for a fee that could rise to £55m. More reinforcements are needed however after the Reds missed out on the Champions League.
A lack of creativity as well as intensity was cited as an issue for Jurgen Klopp’s side, who continued to perform below par. More new faces are set to arrive, but the club are working within financial parameters that present their own challenges.
Here are the latest rumours coming out of Anfield.
Reds prepare hefty bid for Barella
Il Tempo in Italy claim Liverpool are ready to break the bank for the Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, whom they’ve been linked with for several weeks.
The publication states that the Reds are aiming ‘straight at Barella’ as they seek to bolster their midfield ranks. They failed to add anyone in the middle of the park last summer and look to be eyeing the Inter playmaker, who has been crucial for the Serie A outfit, helping them make the Champions League final.
Barella will not come cheap though with Inter looking for €80m, which his roughly £68m, if they are to part with the Italian. That would be a huge chunk of Liverpool’s summer budget gone given they’ve already added Mac Allister.
Thuram deal close
Liverpool are reportedly closing in on the signing of Khephren Thuram, according to Football Insider.
The Nice midfielder is looking to move to Anfield and the Merseysiders are pushing to secure an agreement with the French side. Thuram has two years left on his deal, meaning Nice do not have to sell on the cheap, but they are likely to lose out if a major European side comes in.
Thuram himself though did, only recently, underline his happiness in Ligue 1: “I want to progress, go on the field, have fun. For now, I’m in Nice, it’s going very well, I really like the club, so I still see myself in Nice. I am very well in Nice.
“There are noises, I hear, but I’m happy in Nice, I hope to grow with this club. I would like him (Didier Digard, his coach) to stay because he brought a lot to this group when it was in a difficult period. I don’t know if I tell him enough but he’s someone I can never thank enough.”