Liverpool
Premier League • England
Euro Paper Talk: Liverpool to offer £60m centre-back ‘starring role’; Leeds chasing brother of £37m Man Utd star as Phillips replacement
Jurgen Klopp wants to complete a £60m deal for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt and give him a starring role alongside Virgil van Dijk, while Thursday’s Euro Paper Talk claims Leeds are chasing the brother of a Manchester United star to potentially replace Raphinha.
KLOPP WANTS JUVENTUS MAN ALONGSIDE VAN DIJK
Liverpool are reportedly offering Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt a starring role at Anfield, with a £60.4million transfer being mooted.
Corriere dello Sport recently claimed that Reds are ready to take advantage of the player’s contract situation. The 22-year-old’s current deal runs out in the summer of 2024.
And now Corriere Torino states that Jurgen Klopp wants to partner De Ligt with his Netherlands teammate Virgil van Dijk at Anfield.
The Juve man also has other admirers from England, however, in the shape of Chelsea and Manchester United.
Thomas Tuchel wants De Ligt on board after losing Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid. Meanwhile, new United boss Erik ten Hag has concerns over his side’s defensive solidity after their obvious struggles last season.
But reports from Italy claim it’s Liverpool who are ready to strike a deal this summer. That’s despite numerous reports their transfer business is already done for the summer.
Konate emergence makes De Ligt reports surprising
Liverpool to make move for De Ligt this summer
Liverpool looking to make surprise move for De Ligt this summer as his Juventus contract situation remains uncertain
The Merseysiders have already landed Rawin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay. There’s also the small matter of how well Ibrahima Konate played last season.
The giant defender became Klopp’s first choice to partner van Dijk ahead of Joel Matip.
And with that being the case, it remains to be seen whether Anfield chiefs are willing to splash out £60m-plus on another central defender.
LEEDS CHASING A DIFFERENT TRAORE
Leeds United are ‘determined’ to sign forward Hamed Junior Traore, brother of Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, who is currently at Sassuolo. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri wants his club to consider making a move for Neymar. (Sport)
Paul Pogba’s agent will meet with Juventus on Thursday to complete the negotiations for his comeback. (Fabrizio Romano)
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are keen on signing soon-to-be free agent striker Paulo Dybala. (Football Italia)
Lazio want to open talks with Chelsea to discuss Emerson Palmieri. The player has emerged as Maurizio Sarri’s priority at left-back. (Il Corriere dello Sport)
MBAPPE SENT REAL MADRID WARNING
Dani Carvajal has warned Kylian Mbappe that he might never get another chance to join Real Madrid. (Diario AS)
Miralem Pjanic and Clement Lenglet are unlikely to leave Barcelona for Marseille this summer. (RMC)
Axel Witsel will join Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, with a full agreement in place. (Fabrizio Romano)
Atletico Madrid are concerned that midfielder Thomas Lemar is planning to run down his contract. His current deal expires in June 2023, meaning he can leave on a free next summer. (Marca)
Juventus have resumed their interest in PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes and could offer Moise Kean in a swap deal. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Liverpool defender Billy Koumetio has completed a loan move to Austria Vienna, subject to international clearance.
MORE EURO TRANSFER GOSSIP
Montpellier want to sign former Tottenham and Villarreal right-back Serge Aurier. (Foot Mercato)
Real Madrid are open to allowing Takefusa Kubo leave. However, they want to include a buy-back clause as part of any deal. (Mundo Deportivo)
Marseille have no interest in acquiring Miralem Pjanic despite reports that he was a target for the Ligue 1 side. (Fabrizio Romano)
Paris Saint-Germain are likely to hire Nice’s Christophe Galtier as the club’s next manager. (ESPN)
Celta have received an offer of €10m from an unnamed club for Brais Mendez. (Marca)