Liverpool ‘monitoring’ superb Prem midfielder Klopp rates; £70m required for January transfer

Harry Watkinson
Liverpool linked Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in action for Portugal
Liverpool linked Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in action for Portugal

Liverpool are reportedly ‘monitoring’ Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, with the future of the talented 28-year-old still in doubt.

Jurgen Klopp has completely revamped his midfield this season. The manager brought in four new players who have already had a very positive impact on his team.

In a major reshuffle, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed on frees, Arthur Melo was sent back to parent club Juventus and Jordan Henderson and Fabinho sealed big-money moves to Saudi Arabia.

Arriving in their place, the Reds spent a hefty £145.2m acquiring the services of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and finally, on deadline day, Ryan Gravenberch.

With the help of the new signings, Liverpool have enjoyed an excellent start to the season. They have won five and drawn two of their eight Premier League games so far and currently sit in fourth place in the table – just three points behind league leaders Tottenham and Arsenal.

Despite their early success, Klopp already has one eye on the January transfer window and could bring in another midfielder in an attempt to boost his team’s title chances.

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According to Anfield WatchLiverpool are ‘still monitoring’ Palhinha ahead of a potential move for him in January.

As previously reported by Football365, Palhinha came very close to joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the summer.

The move collapsed late in the window, however, and the Portugal international actually ended up signing a new contract at Craven Cottage, which is valid until June 2028 and does not include a release clause.

Despite this, Bayern Munich remain interested in Palhinha but it seems that Liverpool are ready to rival them for his services.

Anfield Watch claim that Fulham would demand a fee in the region of £70m for their star midfielder in January. They also note that Liverpool have a budget of £60m, but player sales could boost that.

Palhinha signed for Fulham in July 2022 for a fee of £20m. He has since become one of the Cottager’s most important players, making 48 appearances to date, scoring five goals in the process.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool, or indeed Bayern Munich, are willing to splash out £70m on Palhinha this winter.

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