Liverpool given ‘green light’ to sign £61m star who Man United have held talks with
Liverpool have been granted permission to move for a £57m star by his club, following suggestions that Man United also had talks over the player, according to a report.
Liverpool set for pivotal summer of recruitment
The financial ambition of last summer was unmistakable.
A club-record £440m-plus spent on new recruits, a squad overhauled from top to bottom and expectations reset to match.
Yet nearly a year on, Liverpool find themselves in fifth, fighting for Champions League qualification rather than the title itself, and facing the loss of the most significant player in the club’s recent history.
The summer is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in Anfield’s recent past.
Mohamed Salah’s departure was confirmed on March 24, with the Egyptian’s nine-year association with the club brought to a mutual and premature close, and Saudi Pro League chiefs are understood to be confident of finalising the deal that takes him east.
Sporting director Richard Hughes must now identify a new winger capable of carrying the attacking burden Salah leaves behind.
Yan Diomande — the 19-year-old Ivorian winger at RB Leipzig — remains Liverpool’s primary target, with talks ongoing on the player side ahead of June.
Liverpool identify rising star among ‘top three’ Salah replacements with ‘talks ongoing’
The Egyptian King will leave Anfield on a free transfer.
Leipzig, however, are reportedly holding firm on an asking price of £87m or above, a fee that is believed to be deterring certain rivals and leaving Liverpool hopeful that their long-standing pursuit and established relationship with the German club can prove decisive.
It is that relationship, forged through deals for Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita in recent seasons and further strengthened by Jurgen Klopp’s senior role in the Red Bull network, that now opens a second door at the same club.
Liverpool given ‘green light’ to sign Castello Lukeba
Sky Germany reporter Philipp Hinze confirmed today that Castello Lukeba is available this summer, with Leipzig and the 22-year-old French centre-back having reached the conclusion that their three-year partnership may have run its course.
Hinze reported that the club is open to selling even below the £69m release clause written into his deal, with a valuation of around £57m–£61m being the benchmark.
Lukeba is precisely the profile Liverpool need.
A composed, 6ft ball-playing defender still on the ascending arc of his career, he brings the technical quality and physical presence required to begin filling the enormous void Virgil van Dijk will eventually leave.
Now, as per TEAMtalk, it is believed that Liverpool have been given the ‘green light’ to sign Lukebaand could well land his teammate Diomande too.
Were Liverpool to land both Diomande and Lukeba, the combined outlay could reach around £140m — a significant commitment, but one that speaks to the scale of the rebuild this club urgently requires.
This interestingly follows other reports that Man United have held initial talks with Lukeba’s camp as well, with the battle for his signature now well and truly heating up.
Liverpool and Man United both prepared to offer Real Madrid star a £192k-per-week contract to join
His stance has been made clear.
TNG – Latest News & Reviews
