Second source confirms Liverpool pursuing €30m deal for midfielder who was a ‘laughing stock’ in first Prem stint
More weight has been added to the speculation Liverpool are pursuing a PSG midfielder who has come a long way since his infamous first stint in the Premier League.
Midfield additions will be priorities one, two and three on Liverpool’s shopping list this summer. Arthur Melo will return to Juventus once his loan deal concludes, while Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be joined by James Milner in leaving as free agents.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently revealed Liverpool have no plan in place to offer Milner an extension and interest from Brighton and Burnley is materialising.
As such, numerous midfield additions are required and Liverpool will spread their transfer budget around after pulling the plug on their Jude Bellingham chase.
All manner of midfielders have been linked in the past few weeks since that development. Among those on the Reds’ radar include Mason Mount, Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolo Barella and Ryan Gravenberch, to name just four.
A relatively new name was recently put forward by Football Insider, that of Renato Sanches.
The online outlet stated PSG have made the Portugal international available for sale this summer and that’s alerted Jurgen Klopp who is a keen admirer.
In fact, it was claimed Klopp actually urged Liverpool to sign Sanches last summer during the window in which he moved to PSG from Lille.
Now, a second source has added fuel to the fire, with a report in Spain (as cited by Goal), claiming Liverpool have ‘set their sights’ on Sanches.
It’s reaffirmed the 25-year-old is not in PSG’s plans moving forward and is therefore available to buy. Klopp reportedly likes Sanches ‘a lot’ and a bid of around €30m (approx. £26.35m) can seal a deal.
Sanches has bounced back after dreadful Prem stint
A move for Sanches might fill some Liverpool fans with dread given how his previous stint in England unfolded.
Sanches was loaned from Bayern Munich to Swansea City for the 2017-18 season, though endured a truly ghoulish campaign.
talkSPORT labelled his season ‘woeful’ and claimed he was a ‘laughing stock’. His Swansea manager at the time, Carlos Carvalhal, later admitted Sanches had a “very bad season”.
However, Sanches refused to let that setback define his career and has since gone on to prove his worth.
He helped Lille upset PSG and lift Ligue 1 in the 2020/21 season. He’s since earned 32 caps for Portugal and his all-action playing style and tireless workrate could be a perfect fit for a Klopp midfield.
At around £26.35m, Sanches would also represent a cheaper option when compared to many of Liverpool’s other targets, such as Mount and Mac Allister.
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