Liverpool, Juventus part of three-club chase for PSG man, as transfer talks get underway

Liverpool and Juventus are among the three big European teams hoping to snare Leandro Paredes from Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports.

Paredes has featured in all four of PSG’s matches so far this season. However, he is yet to play more than 25 minutes in a single game due to fierce competition for places.

The French side have brought in Vitinha and Renato Sanches this summer. Add that to the existing crop of midfielders, which includes Marco Verratti and Danilo Pereira, and it’s clear to see why Paredes may struggle for game time.

The 28-year-old’s PSG contract runs out in June 2024. This means the club must soon make a decision on his future.

They either need to offload him and prioritise other players in the centre of the pitch or reward him with a new long-term deal. The latter would prevent Paredes from running down his contract and potentially leaving the Parc des Princes as a free agent in two years’ time.

On Tuesday, Paredes emerged as a target for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp needs more midfielders amid injuries to Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones.

The Liverpool midfield struggled on Monday as the Reds lost 2-1 to Manchester United. Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Harvey Elliott failed to deal with their midfield opponents. This defeat showed exactly why a new player – or two – needs to arrive in this position for Liverpool.

Paredes is one of the players under consideration to solve the issue, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato. Other sources have put Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde of Real Madrid on Liverpool’s radar.

Juventus working on Leandro Paredes move

There has now been a double update on Paredes’ future. As per Gianluca di Marzio, Juventus are also on the Argentine’s trail and are working hard to get his signing over the line.

They want to capture him on a season-long loan with the obligation to buy next summer. Such a deal would give Juve 12 months to ensure they have the finances for Paredes’ permanent arrival.

Calciomercato give their take on the player’s situation. They claim Juve have held talks with PSG in the past 24 hours. This arguably puts them at the front of the queue to complete Paredes’ transfer.

Roma also like the midfield enforcer and are interested in a reunion. Paredes spent two years on Roma’s books before leaving for Zenit St Petersburg in July 2017. Admittedly, for one of these seasons Paredes went out on loan to Empoli.

Liverpool, Juve and Roma are the three main suitors for the 44-cap Argentina international. At this moment in time, it is Juve who are frontrunners.

Klopp has suggested Liverpool will not be bringing in a new midfielder before the transfer window closes. Liverpool’s owners don’t want to fork out another big sum after paying an initial £64m on Darwin Nunez last month.

However, midfield is clearly a big problem for Klopp and not bringing in reinforcements could cost Liverpool. They may struggle to fight with Manchester City for the Premier League title if no new player arrives in the position.

Meanwhile, Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk reveals an alternative option for Liverpool, should Paredes join Juve.