Liverpool submit first offer to sign €30m ace; Barcelona made offer of their own

A report claims that Liverpool have made an offer to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini after his impressive showings in Serie A this season but it's unclear whether it's a bid or a contract offer.

Now Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona have made an offer of their own after missing out on Wijnaldum.

Jurgen Klopp is looking for a new midfielder ahead of Wijnaldum's contract expiry which saw him move to PSG.

As we covered on Monday morning, Fabrizio Romano reported: “Wijnaldum has decided to join Paris Saint-Germain.

"Barcelona have NO intention to raise their bid after their agreement ready by 2 weeks and medicals planned. Gini is now set to accept PSG proposal until 2024 with salary more than doubled [compared to Barça bid].”

Following the Dutchman's move to PSG, Liverpool are in need of a new central midfielder and according to a report from the print edition of Corriere dello Sport (screenshot from Paisley Gates), the Reds have made an offer to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini from AS Roma.

The player has a €30m (£25.8m) release clause in his contract but it's unclear from the report whether the offer made is to the player himself (i.e a salary offer) or if it's an offer to Roma.

However, they go on to claim that the Italian 24-year-old wants to remain in Rome which raises questions over the validity of the report because football clubs - least of all Liverpool - simply don't bid for a player unless they are certain he wants to move.

That said, the Mirror's David Maddock claimed that Pellegrini is 'primed' for a move to Anfield, writing: "Jose Mourinho was appointed Roma manager this week and has already suggested he wants to bring in new midfielders with long-term Liverpool target Lorenzo Pellegrini yet to agree a new deal."

Liverpool don't exactly have an engine room filled with goalscorers which places far too much pressure on the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to score and although the return of Virgil van Dijk will see an improved threat from set-pieces, it would be prudent to sign a midfielder that can contribute from range or with late runs into the box.

Funnily enough, Frank Lampard-esque runs from midfield is something Wijnaldum excels at but he was tasked with a far more passive role except for the one game when he was let off his leash, scoring a famous brace against Barcelona.

Jurgen Klopp has the daunting task of meeting Liverpool fans' expectations following a poor season overall but with Ibrahima Konate's arrival, the German has already improved his side massively ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season.