Obviously, we’re not under the assumption that Liverpool will bring in 24 players this summer, one from every country at the Euros, but with the final squads released today we thought it a good time to produce a more spurious transfer piece – just for the craic!
Here, we’ve chosen one realistic transfer target from every nation in France this summer. Many have already been linked to Liverpool before, while others are simply our personal selections.
What do you think? Which of these would you most like to come true…?
Group A
France
Romania
Albania
Switzerland
Group B
England
Ryan Bertrand (LB) – Another potential left-back option, and an entirely realistic one considering he plies his trade at Liverpool’s feeder club Southampton!
Russia
Alan Dzagoev (AMC) – A CSKA playmaker with immense ability and an eye for goal. Lit up the Euros four years ago. Surely is ready for a big move.
Wales
Ashley Williams (DC) – We’re not getting Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey any time soon, so Williams would be the next best thing!
Slovakia
Marek Hamsik (MC) – The midfielder has bags of spirit and has been shone at Napoli since 2007. Hamsik is the only member of the Slovakian squad we’d have in a heartbeat, although his club have never looked like selling.
Group C
Germany
Jonas Hector (LB) – Another left-back option, Hector plies his trade at Cologne and would be an affordable option having been heavily linked earlier in the season. Has expressed admiration for Jurgen Klopp.
Ukraine
Andriy Yarmolenko (AMR) – The flying winger’s agent met Liverpool chiefs towards the end of the season, but there’s been no confirmation the talks were successful. An exciting Mario Gotze alternative.
Poland
Piotr Zielinski (MC) – The latest reports indicate Zielinski’s move to Anfield is off, with Klopp preferring Mamoud Dahoud. Still, there’s a chance this one might still happen if we fail to capture the young German.
Northern Ireland
Will Grigg (FC) – There really is nobody of Liverpool standard in the Northern Irish squad, so we’ll have Will Grigg – purely for the song!
Group D
Spain
Marc Bartra (DC) – The Barcelona centre-back has an €8m release clause, which seems very affordable. Mamadou Sakho has avoided a suspension, but if we sell Martin Skrtel we may still require enforcements in this area.
Czech Republic
Patrik Schick (FC) – The Czechs have a weak squad, in fairness. Long gone are the days of Nedved and Porborsky. Arsenal would never sell us Petr Cech, so we’d gamble on 20-year-old Schick – one of the few players under 25.
Turkey
Hakan Calhanoglu (AMC) – Arguably the best set-piece taker on the planet, Calhanoglu has yet to move from Bayer Leverkusen but has the potential to transfer to an elite club. Klopp will be familiar with the playmaker from his time in Germany.
Croatia
Mateo Kovacic (MC) – Heavily linked last summer and again at the start of this, Kovacic sits on Real Madrid’s bench and may be interested at the possibilty of a switch for more minutes and responsibility.
Group E
Belgium
Axel Witsel (MC) – The midfield battler provides the kind of physical presence we’d love centrally. Currently plies his trade in Russia and would surely welcome a move to play along three of his Belgian counterparts: Mignolet, Benteke and Origi.
Italy
Antonio Candreva (AMRL) – Italy are not what they used to be, but Candreva’s a good player. Provides pace and goals from the wing, although Liverpool have a horrible record with Italians.
Republic of Ireland
Shane Long (FC) – The Southampton forward is a reported target following his impressive second half of the season, in which he reached double figures in the Premier League for the first time.
Sweden
John Guidetti (FC) – Ibrahimovic isn’t a Klopp player, and is going to United anyway, so we’ll take a plump on his younger strike partner. Guidetti plays for Celta Vigo and has the potential to improve further.
Group F
Portugal
Iceland
Austria
Marko Arnautovic (AMRL) – The Stoke winger produced an outstanding Premier League season just gone, although the Potters would be in no rush to sell and would charge an extortionate fee. Klopp’s mentioned his admiration for Arnautovic previously.
Hungary
Balazs Dzsudzsak (AMRL) – Another wide-man with pace and skill to burn, Bzsudzsak is nearing his 30s but will be Hungary’s biggest threat at the Euros.