Liverpool have so far failed in our pursuit of Udinese’s Piotr Zielinski and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Mahmoud Dahoud, so it’s no surprise to see some fresh names surface.
The Daily Mail claim we heavily scouted Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko last term and that he could be on our radar this summer. The 21-year-old would command an £11m transfer fee, they reckon, but suggest Southampton are frontrunners for his signature – as they look to bring in an immediate replacement for Victor Wanyama. We can expect to see Bakayoko at Anfield in a few years’ time then!
They also report that Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum is a viable option, although the £25m fee they claim it’ll take for us to sign him is utterly ridiculous. Interestingly, most articles linking us with a Newcastle player cite Moussa Sissoko as the potential signing, but Wijnaldum provides an interesting alternative – although not at that price.
Both are physically excellent and can burst forward at will, but are inconsistent – as shown by Newcastle’s relegation last season.
We don’t know anything about Bakayoko but like the idea of a natural defensive midfielder arriving, as Sissoko and Wijnaldum would struggle in a double pivot.