Transfer updates have gone quiet over the past week, perhaps measures put in place by the club after the Virgil Van Dijk leaking blunder on Monday 5th June. A quiet direct approach to transfers would be a far better option for the club to adopt, rather than the constant monitoring and press leaks. We know meetings took place since the press leak and subsequent club apology over Van Dijk, and I think the silence and lack of leaks may suggest numerous deals are being worked on behind the scenes. The latest rumours on transfers and updates are below.

Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah is expected to join Liverpool in the next week or so, various news outlets are reporting that a deal is close and the player is keen to return to the Premier League. Sky Italy last night reported that he has told AS Roma that he wants to move to Liverpool.

The sticking point at the moment is the fee; it is believed that Roma are holding out for a £35-£40m. Roma have hit financial difficulties and have to sacrifice a key player this summer in order to lift some financial restrain. This is a key reason why they are demanding such a high price. Liverpool’s opening offer was £28m. Further negotiations are currently taking place and an agreement is expected soon. He is a player who can help Liverpool next season, with frightening pace, intelligence and an attacking threat from wide positions.

Virgil Van Dijk

After reading the speculation about Virgil Van Dijk recently and the apology issued by Liverpool FC to Southampton FC regarding the conduct of the transfer, it would have been easy to conclude that the transfer is definitely off. Especially when the club declared in the statement that they have ‘ended all interest in the player. ‘However, since then there has been some reports that the deal could still happen. Several reliable sources on Twitter have claimed that the deal could be back on. Also SkyBet has reinstalled Liverpool FC as favourites to sign Van Dijk. We know that he is Jürgen Klopp’s top transfer target. The player wants to join Liverpool and may look to force a transfer with a formal written transfer request in the coming weeks. It would not surprise me if he ended up at Liverpool this summer; I thought this even when the apology was issued.

Kylian Mbappe

This transfer rumour has driven Liverpool fans crazy, some excited with the prospect of landing a huge European star, others angry that such rumours have even been created.

Mbappe, 18, has had an astonishing season for such a young player. He scored 29 goals in 31 starts in all competitions last season. He is widely regarded as one of the best young players in world football and has attracted the attention of a host of European giants. I believe Liverpool are interested in the player, he certainly fits the clubs style of play. It was reported in the Daily Mail that Klopp has made contact with his representatives. It would be a fantastic signing for the club; however, it does not fit in with the ‘moneyball’ transfer model adopted by FSG in the past few transfer windows. Mbappe would command a transfer fee of at least £90-£100m and that would smash the clubs transfer record more than twice over. We can all dream I guess…

Gelson Martins

Various news outlets last week reported that Liverpool FC are in talks for Sporting Lisbon winger Gelson Martins. Given that this coincided with the timing of reports that Liverpool were struggling to agree a fee with Roma for Mohamed Salah, I suspect that this a backup option for the club. Gelson Martins has a €60m release clause in his contract. This is why I find the link confusing if it is an alternative to Salah, after not paying up for him.

I believe the club were exploring options, but do hold a genuine interest in the player. It may have been a negotiation tactic for the Salah deal. I do not expect this transfer to happen, unless the Salah deals were to collapse.

Naby Keita

This looks like a really difficult transfer to pull off, RP Leipzig do not want to sell the player and the deal is very quiet after a first initial firm denial. There are reports that RP Leipzig will offer him a new contract, sooner than expected, in order to try and tie their star player down.

This may bump up the already hefty price tag in the future. He has been a star performer in an unbelievable season for them, which saw the club come runners up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. A remarkable achievement for a side tipped for relegation, which has ensured Champions League football next season. I think the player may want to be a part of this special time at the club. This combined with the hard stance RP Leipzig is taking may mean that this transfer has to wait until next season.

Other Transfer Links 🔎
Ruben Neves – Porto

Emre Mor – Dortmund (Loan)

Dustin Tadic – Southampton

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio – £25m)

✏Ben Wade

@brwade123

@Anything_LFC