Gossip: New Liverpool goalkeeper target; Arsenal agree deal

Daniel Storey

LIVERPOOL HAVE NEW GOALKEEPER TARGET
And it’s fair to say that the name might be a little underwhelming. Having apparently chased Alisson, Jan Oblak and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Liverpool might be shopping a little closer to home for their new goalkeeper.

The Sun on Sunday have an exclusive from Mike McGrath, who claims that Liverpool want Nick Pope to solve their goalkeeping issues. We’re told that Jurgen Klopp will instruct the club to bid £15m for Pope, which does all seem a little understated. If you’re going to buy a new goalkeeper, might as well go big.

In fairness, the Sunday Mirror say that Pope is close to signing a new contract at Burnley and will not be leaving the club this summer. Now we don’t know who to believe.

 

ARSENAL AGREE DEAL FOR TORREIRA
On Friday we picked out Lucas Torreira as a player with a low minimum release fee clause, and therefore wondered whether some major Premier League clubs might make a move. By Sunday, the Sampdoria midfielder is again being linked with Arsenal. And people dare to say that we don’t set the agenda.

The information comes via Calciomercato Sampdoria, who we’ve never heard of. They say that Arsenal now have an agreement in place with Sampdoria for Torreira, because they are happy to pay his release clause. Given that it’s only £22m, that’s fair enough.

The other info given is that Borussia Dortmund and Napoli also want Torreira, at which point it’s easy to assume that this Arsenal interest is being used as a strategy to attract other bidders.

 

MANCHESTER CITY CONSIDER SERI DEAL
We had assumed that the deal for Manchester City to sign Jorginho would be announced in the near future, but it really is dragging. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is notorious for using the media to spin stories, and he’s digging his heels in for the most money possible.

Now, City are being linked with a move for Jean Michael Seri, another player from that low release clause list. Seri would be available for £40m, and is therefore reportedly viewed by City as a cheaper option should the Jorginho fee be pushed too high.

This is a pretty transparent story, mind. It is in City’s interest to leak reports of a possible move for Seri, because it sends a message to Napoli that they will not be held to ransom. It is in Seri’s interest for the same story to come out, because it makes him look like a man in demand.

 

AND THE REST
Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez is on the brink of a £75m switch to Manchester City… West Brom are plotting a £10m double swoop for Bristol City’s Bobby Reid and Romaine Sawyers of Brentford… Brazil manager Tite has denied claims he is set to move to Real Madrid.