Liverpool’s interest in Jadon Sancho is shaping up to be the saga of the summer as retired footballer and journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft claims Liverpool want to sign him before the Euros.
Responding to a news aggregator on Twitter, the journalist claims that Liverpool want to sign Sancho before the Three Lions’ European Championships tournament starts on the 13th of June.
Fjortfot added: “Liverpool want Sancho, but they can’t make a move before they sell either Salah or Mané.”
Ah. The same line that journalists have been using since Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah began plundering goals for the Reds has popped up again. To be clear, Anfield Central has received zero indication that Jurgen Klopp is ready to sell his two best forwards.
I imagine bringing this up to the German during a press conference would see him get very annoyed.
There’s no denying that Sancho, or any other top forward, is of interest to Liverpool as the Reds are constantly assessing the market, weighing up their next move but the English forward will not arrive at Anfield in place of Salah or Mane.
The former has been sensational again this season. It seems as though his finishing is only getting better with time and his 29 goals in all competitions this season is a testament to this.
Mane, however, has had a difficult season but remains a top-class forward and one that Klopp will be relying on next term to bounce back and once again show why he was so pivotal in Liverpool winning the Premier League last season.
Sancho in Red would be incredible to watch but it seems difficult to imagine how it would happen this season given the club’s financial standing.
Despite missing 11 games through injury and illness this season, Sancho has 14 goals and 18 assists for Borussia Dortmund.
It’s really no surprise that he’s been attracting attention from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool for a couple of years already despite only turning 21 in March because he’s already the full package.
You could argue that with Mane’s dip in performance and his age (29), it would be wise to swap Sancho in for the Senegalese attacker but if Klopp believes the former Southampton man still has good days ahead of him, he won’t sell him.
The German manager can be ruthless but he’s also very loyal and the hope from fans is that it doesn’t cost the Reds next season as there’s no room for sentimentality at the top of European football.
After conceding the Premier League crown to Manchester City on Tuesday evening, Klopp will be desperate to see his side return next season to reclaim it in style and hopefully with the return of Virgil van Dijk and the arrival of Ibrahima Konate, they can dominate once again.