Gossip: Liverpool and Man Utd 'chase Wanyama', Spurs 'target Reus', Chelsea 'want Lampard as manager'
Somewhere along the line, Liverpool missed a trick. They dropped the ball. They failed in their duty. They allowed one of football’s most sacred laws to be broken.
They allowed a good Southampton player to join another club.
This travesty happened in the summer of 2016, when Saints midfielder Victor Wanyama signed for Tottenham instead of fulfilling his destiny and moving to Anfield like his brothers Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Clyne, Mane and Van Dijk.
Perhaps it was the bargain £11m fee that befuddled the Reds at the time, as they were more accustomed to paying over the odds for their people from St Mary’s.
But whatever the reason, the transfer has created an imbalance in the football Matrix that Liverpool can no longer ignore. So they are going to buy Wanyama now instead.
The Express says Jurgen Klopp wants the beefy Kenyan to add “more steel” to his team and replace the possibly-Juventus-bound Emre Can at the heart of the Reds midfield.
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It’s not clear if the needs of the Matrix will be satisfied by Liverpool buying a player from Southampton via another club, but it’s worth a try, and it seems to be working out all right with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The only problem is that the Reds have competition. Manchester United want Wanyama too.
The Express adds that Jose Mourinho believes the 26-year-old will help him “close the gap on Manchester City” and would be an upgrade on departing midfield duo Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini.
So Liverpool may have to pay their special Saints premium to get their man.
Man Utd join Liverpool in Jorginho race
The two North-West giants are also set to go head-to-head to sign the Napoli midfielder Jorginho, who has never played for Southampton or even been there, probably.
The Star says Mourinho has scouted the Brazilian-born 26-year-old “several times” this season and will try to tempt the Serie A leaders into selling with an “initial” £50m bid. Klopp is likely to be annoyed about this because, until now, he believed he was in “pole position” to sign the player.
Things with Mario Lemina are far more straight-forward. According to L’Equipe, Liverpool are interested in signing the current Southampton midfielder directly from Saints this summer. And that’s the way things should be.
Tottenham want Dortmund star
Even if Spurs lose Wanyama, they could be left with the substantial consolation of signing Marco Reus.
The Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward is reportedly “stalling” on signing a new contract, with his current deal expiring at the end of next season, and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is ready to take advantage with a cheeky summer bid (Mirror).
Meanwhile, Chelsea contract rebel Thibaut Courtois has denied claims (or, to be precise, his agent has denied claims) that he held a “secret meeting” with Paris Saint-Germain officials earlier this week. Whether the Blues believe him or not, the Sun says contract talks between the two parties have been “shelved” until the summer.
Elsewhere, Chelsea will offer club legend Frank Lampard a coaching role with a view to him becoming the club’s manager in the future – hopefully with Uncle Harry Redknapp as his assistant (Sun), West Ham are preparing a £10m bid for Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter after having two previous offers rejected (Express) and Nice striker Mario Balotelli wants to return to the Premier League this summer – and will be available on a free transfer (Mirror). Yet how is it that he still sounds like the biggest gamble any club could take?
