‘More and more confirmations’ are arriving over one half of a colossal double deal that’ll put Liverpool back at the forefront of English football, per a report.
The Reds returned to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Everton on Monday night. There remains hope of a late-season surge among the Anfield faithful that could result in snatching fourth spot and vital Champions League qualification.
Indeed, Liverpool can cut the gap to Newcastle to six points if they win at St. James’ Park on Saturday. The Reds also have a game in hand.
But to ensure this season’s struggles aren’t replicated next year, heavy investment in new signings over the summer will be required.
On that front, Fabrizio Romano recently reported Jurgen Klopp could be gifted three major arrivals at season’s end – two in midfield and one at centre-back.
Jude Bellingham remains the club’s top priority with regards to the engine room. BILD’s Christian Falk recently confirmed Liverpool are Bellingham’s preferred destination.
UCL qualification could prove pivotal in helping Liverpool to pull off the move in 2023. If they miss out on Europe’s top competition, Falk suggested the club-record swoop could be put back to 2024 – something that would go down extremely well in Dortmund.
In any case, a Bellingham move continues to bubble away in the background and who could arrive at centre-half has come to light.
Klopp gunning for £80m Tottenham, Chelsea target
FootballTransfers recently reported RB Leipzig and Croatia ace, Josko Gvardiol was the primary name on Liverpool’s four-man shortlist.
The 21-year-old can already stake a viable claim to being genuinely world class and his colossal release clause reflects that. Indeed, upon penning fresh terms with Leipzig on September 1, Gvardiol’s release clause was raised to €110m (approx. £97m).
However, per new information from journalist Rudi Galetti, Leipzig are fully prepared to cash in for the slightly reduced sum of €90m (approx. £80m) at season’s end.
Furthermore, Galetti reported ‘more and more confirmations are arriving’ over the prospect of Gvardiol moving to Merseyside. If the Croatian does join, his arrival will reportedly have a major consequence for Virgil van Dijk.
Galetti added Jurgen Klopp has personally identified Gvardiol as the ‘ideal’ partner for the great Dutchman.
Gvardiol is left-footed, meaning he’d slot in at left centre-back and push Van Dijk over to right centre-back. Despite being right-footed, Van Dijk has played the vast bulk of matches for Liverpool on the left side of various pairings.
Gvardiol arrival bad news for Matip?
Ibrahima Konate would thus be relegated to a bench role and Joel Matip could become the fall guy.
Goal and Football Insider are both of the opinion Liverpool intend to cash in on Matip at season’s end.
Matip’s performances have fallen off a cliff this season and he’ll turn 32 in August. The ex-Schalke man will also be entering the final 12 months of his deal come the summer and a £15m bid could be enough to see the Reds wave goodbye.
Gvardiol has been heavily linked with Tottenham and Chelsea in the past and the Blues even saw a £77.4m bid rejected two windows ago, per the Guardian.
But if Galetti’s sources are correct, the Croatian superstar could be lining up alongside Van Dijk at Anfield next season. What’s more, they may have a new-look midfield that includes England ace Jude Bellingham in front.
Another factor that’ll aid Liverpool’s cause is seemingly Gvardiol’s own personal preference.Liverpool are Gvardiol’s “dream club”
The Leipzig man previously admitted the Reds are “definitely” his “dream club”.
“My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool,” he told Croatian TV channel RTLDanas via Eurosport(). “Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad.
“We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart.”
Additions the calibre of Gvardiol and Bellingham would unquestionably help Liverpool to re-establish themselves as serious title challengers.
Given the pair’s respective ages (21 and 19), they’d also be spearheading the next generation of Klopp’s Liverpool throughout the rest of the decade.
Liverpool have midfield rebuild in mindLiverpool have several midfield targets in mind as they look to restructure the spine of their squad.0 seconds of 1 minute, 31 secondsVolume 90%
Soucre: teamtalk.com
