Liverpool discover ‘perfect’ midfield signing as Jurgen Klopp swerves summer hunt from Bundesliga to Ligue 1
Liverpool appear set to raid Ligue 1 rather than the German Bundesliga this summer after deciding on a player shining in France as one of their transfer priorities, according to a report.
Liverpool’s need for a midfield rebuild has been obvious for a couple of seasons now. Several of Jurgen Klopp’s options in the position are either prone to injuries or the wrong side of 30 and past their best.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of the season. Klopp is hoping Milner will extend his deal by one year, but Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita will be allowed to leave.
Arthur Melo will also be sent back to Juventus after an incredibly disappointing loan spell.
Those departures will leave space on the wage bill for two or three new midfielders to arrive at Anfield.
Ideally, the Merseyside giants would have captured Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. But his £120million valuation has ultimately put them off.
Attention then turned to Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich. He would like to play more after struggling to get into the Bayern starting eleven this term.
However, various sources including Fabrizio Romano have reported that Bayern do not want to consider Gravenberch leaving.
Liverpool head to France in midfielder pursuit
As such, Klopp has instructed Liverpool to leave the German market and instead look at France. As per The Independent, the Liverpool boss has decided Nice star Khephren Thuram is the ‘perfect’ solution to his midfield woes.
Thuram is enjoying a top season in France. He has played in every single one of Nice’s league matches and has amassed 44 appearances across all competitions. In that time, the Frenchman has managed two goals and eight assists.
But Thuram is not known for his goalscoring. The report claims Liverpool like the player due to his energy and his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, similar to what Declan Rice does for West Ham.
Reds scouts also believe Thuram has the tactical knowhow to fit into the system Klopp wants. He could end up replacing Jordan Henderson on the right side of the midfield trio, and his tireless running may help Trent Alexander-Arnold defensively.
The report does not mention how much the 22-year-old may cost Liverpool, or whether Nice are open to his sale.
As Thuram’s Nice deal runs for another two years, Liverpool may have to put up a large offer to reach an agreement. However, he should not cost anywhere near as much as Bellingham.
Nice would probably like to extend Thuram’s contract in order to keep him at the Allianz Riviera stadium beyond this summer. But they will know that the player will want to test himself out at a higher level and may therefore have to consider his sale.
As mentioned previously, Liverpool need more than one midfielder to join to solve their problems in the position. As such, it would not be a surprise if a Premier League midfielder moves to Liverpool alongside Thuram.
Liverpool are interested in a couple of Brighton midfielders, and one of them has revealed what his ‘dream’ next club is.
