Selling Naby Keita, who is reportedly being offered to Atletico Madrid, can enable Jurgen Klopp to sign Youri Tielemans from Leicester City, who is reportedly going for around £70million.
The Leicester Mercury claim the Foxes will demand around £70m in order to sanction the sale of Tielemans and this presents a major financial problem when Liverpool stalled on a move to sign Jadon Sancho for £81.5million plus add-ons.
However, a report from Spanish newspaper AS from the end of May might give the Reds an option to reduce the cost of signing the Belgian midfielder and it involves selling Naby Keita this summer.
They claim that Keita was offered to Atletico Madrid and while the offer was rejected, if it’s true that the Guinean and his agent are looking for a new club, selling a player who arrived at Anfield from RB Leipzig for a fee in the region of £48m could help fund a move for Tielemans.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Naby Keita of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on March 9, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
I would be very disappointed to see Naby Keita leave Liverpool as he is hugely talented but he seems unable to make the impact that he was expected to with a plethora of injuries largely responsible.
That said, Klopp cannot wait around forever and with Georginio Wijnaldum on his way out of the club, Youri Tielemans is heavily linked with a move to Liverpool but the finances involved are astronomical.
There’s no denying the Foxes’ no.8 is a great player but his reported £70million asking price is incredibly high and it’s not even guaranteed that he will start for the Reds, with Fabinho, Thiago and Jordan Henderson likely to be Klopp’s first-choice midfield trio.
Of course, the German will need to rotate and so Tielemans will get his fair share of game time but you don’t spend that kind of money to simply increase your squad depth.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool looks on prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 23, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images)
Signing Tielemans for that kind of money also invites huge pressure that Virgil van Dijk dealt with well but as we’ve seen following Harry Maguire’s £80m move to Manchester United, it’s a risky approach.
Liverpool have historically avoided these types of transfers for obvious reasons and as much as I’d love to see Tielemans at Anfield, that kind of money would be better spent elsewhere this summer.
With Anfield Central sources disclosing why Liverpool have fallen behind in the race to sign Jadon Sancho, it might be best for Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards to shop in this window conservatively so long as they set into motion plans to sign Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland next summer.
If United sign Sancho, Manchester City sign Jack Grealish or Harry Kane and Chelsea are able to buy smartly and continue developing under Thomas Tuchel, Liverpool will need to add significant quality to remain on pace with their rivals.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Jack Grealish of Aston Villa looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Spending the most money doesn’t guarantee Premier League success otherwise Everton would be higher up than Liverpool but when you’re able to attract the likes of Sancho, success will inevitably follow somewhere down the line.
Liverpool are in the advantageous position of having someone like Jurgen Klopp at the helm who doesn’t necessarily need marquee signings to win silverware but attracting someone like Mbappe certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances of success.
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