Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Liverpool set to beat Juventus to £35M target as Jurgen Klopp’s side have taken ‘first steps’ to secure his signature

Ben Stewart
Teun Koopmeiners of Atalanta BC and Paul Pogba of Juventus FC battle for the ball during Atalanta BC vs Juventus FC

Liverpool reportedly have the upper hand on Juventus when it comes to the pursuit of a Serie A star this summer to bolster their midfield.

With the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner set to depart in the summer, Jurgen Klopp’s side are already eyeing up their replacements.

Klopp has had great success of late with pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield and he is keen to have the right players around him moving forward.

According to an Italian report (via Sportwitness), Liverpool have ‘already taken the first steps’ to signing Teun Koopmeiners in the summer window.

The report also states that Juventus want to sign him, although they cannot compete with Liverpool’s financial muscle right now.

Like Liverpool, Juventus are also in need of a midfield rebuild heading into next season, but they must sort out their finances before sanctioning any deal.

The midfielder has a contract with Atalanta until the summer of 2025 and the club has the option to extend this deal by a further 12 months.

His current market value is deemed to be around the £35million mark. The 25-year-old can play a variety of roles and would be useful to this Liverpool side.

The Reds have often lacked a goal threat from their midfielder this season, but Koopmeiners would add a new dynamic.

He has scored seven league goals in this campaign, which is more than any Liverpool midfielder has managed. The Dutch midfielder has also provided three assists.

On average, he takes 1.8 shots per game and creates 1.6 chances. He also offers a good deal off the ball, making an average of 1.4 tackles.

Liverpool have plenty of options

While missing out on Jude Bellingham is a blow for Liverpool, they aren’t short of midfield options to go for. In fact, they have already been linked with 56 different names so far.

Liverpool have often done their best business when signing an up-and-coming player who has gone under the radar.

Whether they finish in the top four could also influence their transfer dealings. Klopp’s side are on an excellent run, which has seen them win their last six matches.

Gary Neville recently touched on the importance of this upcoming window for Liverpool and stressed that Klopp must be backed.

“Jurgen Klopp has got to be supported,” he told Sky Sports. “He was supported when they fell short by being able to push themselves in the transfer market, they’ll have to go there again this summer.

“Other teams are going to invest, Klopp’s strength over the last six or seven years has been the quality of football but also the strength of recruitment, he’s been able to get the most out of players, who ultimately haven’t cost stupid amounts, Van Dijk, Allison and Nunez aside.”

Klopp will also be wary that his side have an average age of 27.2, the third highest in the league. In order to build for the future, this number will have to be significantly reduced.

Koopmeiners could be a savvy purchase for Liverpool this summer, especially if they can prize him away from Atalanta for just £35million.

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