Klopp delight as Fulham warm to Liverpool sale for bullish Prem star, with replacement lined up
Liverpool will be on red alert after finding out that Fulham are warming to the idea of selling one of their best players, as the Cottagers have reportedly begun pursuing a Porto star to replace him.
This summer will be a crucial one for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. They must arrest their glaring midfield issues if they are to stand any chance of catching the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City next term. This means at least two midfielders must arrive at Anfield to give the position more energy and quality.
Liverpool put in plenty of groundwork ahead of a potential swoop for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. But they have since decided against moving for the England star.
The main reason for this is that Bellingham would cost around £120million to sign, which is almost all of Klopp’s summer budget.
Instead, Liverpool have set their sights on Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich, as well as some Premier League alternatives. Liverpool may struggle to bring Gravenberch to England though as Bayern hope to keep him.
The Reds must also add a new centre-back to their ranks to provide competition and backup for current options Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip. Joe Gomez is available to Klopp too, but he is not at the required standard.
Liverpool like Torino’s Perr Schuurs, but they will have to fend off Newcastle for him as Eddie Howe’s team have recently joined the chase.
Fellow Premier League side Fulham have just given Liverpool a boost in their hunt to add quality players to Klopp’s squad in the summer. According to Sport Witness, who cite Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Fulham are gradually coming to the realisation that they may have to sell midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Liverpool in for Fulham man
Fulham only signed Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon in July last year. But after an impressive debut campaign in England, the 27-year-old has showed he has the ability to play at a higher level.
Liverpool are at the front of the queue to snap Palhinha up, while Manchester United are also interested in him.
Both teams have been left stunned by how quickly he has adapted to the Prem. When he is performing at his best, the Portugal international can dominate midfield pretty much on his own.
Liverpool are particularly attracted to Palhinha as he should not cost as much as some of their other midfield targets, such as Brighton pair Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
It is claimed that Fulham have already decided on the player they want to replace Palhinha at Craven Cottage. The man in question is Porto ace Mateus Uribe.
And Fulham could make a big profit if they sell Palhinha to Liverpool and then bring Uribe to the Prem. The Porto midfielder is out of contract this summer, which means Fulham can sign him on a free transfer.
Marco Silva’s side are not the only team to have identified the transfer as a clever piece of business. Lazio are also interested in Uribe and have offered him a contract worth around £34,000 a week.
But that is a figure Fulham should be able to shatter if they truly want the Colombian. After all, they have four players who earn £75,000 a week or more, according to Spotrac.
Meanwhile, one journalist claims Klopp is preparing a blockbuster Liverpool move for a Serie A star.
