Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will be delighted after finding out a centre-back target has been telling his team-mates he could secure a move this summer, while a report has claimed the Reds have improved their offer to leave a Premier League rival in the dust.
Midfield is the priority position for Liverpool to improve, and rightly so. Klopp has had to deal with problems in the position for far too long. As such, Liverpool have gotten rid of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to give the area a much-needed boost.
They could also bring in a third, more defensive-minded midfielder to provide Fabinho with competition for his starting place. Romeo Lavia and Khephren Thuram are two potential solutions, though one of them has just decided he will not be going anywhere this summer.
Alongside those midfield improvements, Liverpool also need to bring in a new centre-half who can become the eventual successor to Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman is now 32 and heading into the twilight years of his career, just like 31-year-old Joel Matip.
Liverpool have expressed an interest in Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven. However, he is now close to joining Premier League rivals Tottenham, forcing Liverpool to identify alternative targets.
One player the Reds like a lot is Torino and Netherlands star Perr Schuurs. On July 7, it emerged that Klopp had decided on Schuurs as his new priority to improve central defence.
But Liverpool are not alone in pursuing Schuurs as he is also wanted by Crystal Palace and West Ham. And on Tuesday, an Italian journalist claimed him to be ‘one step away’ from signing for Palace after they launched a club-record €35m (£29.8m) bid. Liverpool, in contrast, have only offered €30m (£25.6m) to Torino thus far.
But according to the latest information from Italian newspaper Tuttosport (via Football Italia), Liverpool are taking big strides as they look to win the race for Schuurs. Klopp’s side have come back with an improved bid that gets closer to Torino’s €40m (£34.1m) asking price. It is not quite worth that much, but Liverpool are heading in the right direction.
Perr Schuurs hoping to complete move amid Liverpool interest
Palace could come back and match Liverpool’s bid, forcing the player himself to choose. But if this were to happen, it is highly likely he would opt for a move to Anfield as they will able to offer him regular European football, something Palace cannot match.
In another boost for Klopp, the report claims he has ‘told his team-mates he wants to gain a transfer in the next week’. This means it might not be long before Klopp finally gets his target through the door at Anfield.
