Liverpool could pocket €30m from rival record midfield transfer

Lazio are ramping up their asking price for former Liverpool midfielder Luis Alberto amid worries about his sell-on clause, according to reports in Italy.

Alberto’s time at Anfield did not prove to be a success, as he made just 12 appearances in 2013-14 before being loaned out for the next two seasons.

He found a new permanent home when joining Lazio in 2016, where he has revitalised his career and is currently playing a key role in their title challenge.

His renewed form has seen him linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Liverpool’s rivals Everton said to be interested in an eye-catching swoop.

Carlo Ancelotti is aware of the player from his time in Serie A, with Alberto having come up against the Toffess boss when he was in charge of Napoli.

However, such a move would not come cheap, as according to Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness), Lazio are now working on a new contract for Alberto that would include a €100m release clause.

The Rome-based club’s plan is to tie Alberto down until 2025, which would represent a three-year extension on the Spaniard’s current terms, while warning off potential suitors with the nine-figure exit clause.

That price would surely rule Everton out of the running, given that their current record transfer was around half that value, when they spent £40m for Gylfi Sigurdsson in 2017.

However, if they did somehow find the funds to make the signing, €30m of the price would immediately switch hands to their Merseyside rivals, as Liverpool inserted a 30% sell-on clause into the terms of the sale four years ago.

Their windfall could have been even greater, though, had they had the foresight to see how valuable Alberto would one day become – with the €4m they let him leave for now looking like a steal on Lazio’s part.