Gossip: Liverpool offer player to avoid world-record deal
DEJAN VU
It seems as though there might have been a change of heart at Anfield. While Joel Matip was reported to be the defender Liverpool would sacrifice to sign Kalidou Koulibaly, two birds might instead be killed with one stone. Might Napoli fancy Dejan Lovren in return?
That idea is mooted by Gazzetta dello Sport, who believe Lovren could be offered as a makeweight to make the deal a little more affordable. Koulibaly’s price has wavered considerably, and is now cited as a world-record for a defender at £89m. Lovren in exchange could bring that down £20m or so. Michael Edwards is a witch, remember.
Liverpool get one of their ‘slam dunks’. Koulibaly finally gets his big move. Napoli get a Champions League winner. Lovren can finally prove he really is one of the best centre-halves in the world in a more defensive league.
Everybody wins. Except the concept of reality; it won’t happen.
HEY ADRIEN
Liverpool have been linked with Koulibaly roughly as long as Manchester United have held an interest in Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder has caught their eye again.
TuttoMercatoWeb claim Rabiot ‘is one of the most followed by Premier teams’. Any scouts sent by English clubs might have been disappointed as he has only started 11 Serie A games and three in the Champions League under Maurizio Sarri, but still.
Rabiot actually named United as a potential destination when weighing up his post-PSG options last summer, and though Juventus have started to see the best of the 25-year-old in recent months, a sale ‘would be all capital gain’.
No fee is mentioned, but the France international has more than three years left on his current contract in Turin. He won’t be cheap.
TURIN LUCK
A swap with Paul Pogba would surely make sense. A range of players from Douglas Costa to Alex Sandro are thought to have been offered to United to assuage that deal but Rabiot has rarely been made a part of the equation.
Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has essentially extinguished any hope regardless. In an interview with Sky Sport Italia, he noted that “great player” Paul Pogba has a wage that makes him “now more difficult to get hold of,” as “he’ll have fewer clubs prepared to pay that money” in the current climate.
AND THE REST
Tottenham are leading the race to sign Barcelona and Croatia’s 32-year-old midfielder Ivan Rakitic… France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, 23, wants to stay and fight for his place at Tottenham amid interest from Barcelona… Chelsea and Spain forward Pedro, 32, is wanted by Roma and Real Betis… Arsenal are prepared to sell Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan this summer to raise funds. The 31-year-old is currently on loan at Roma… Sevilla are interested in French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko. The 25-year-old is on loan at Monaco from Chelsea… Arsenal and Chelsea both want to sign Feyenoord’s Turkish midfielder Orkun Kokcu, 19.
