One journalist has claimed that a reported Liverpool transfer target is unhappy at his current club due to the treatment of some of his teammates.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has been linked with a potential move to Anfield (L’Équipe), and it’s believed that a divide in the camp at the Parc des Princes resulting from his friends Neymar and Kylian Mbappe being shunned has left him disenchanted.
Graeme Bailey was addressing the Italian’s future on the Talking Transfers Podcast when he stated that the 30-year-old is considering a possible exit from the Ligue 1 champions.
The journalist said: “We can’t underestimate how popular Kylian Mbappe is in the PSG camp. We will be doing a piece on Marco Verratti.
“He’s a bit unsettled, he’s not happy with how PSG have treated his friends Neymar and Mbappe, and after this latest episode he’s thinking about his future as well.”
Verratti would come to Liverpool with a very rich CV, having won nine league titles with PSG and the European Championship with Italy two years ago, along with playing 79 times in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).
He’d bring a wealth of top-level experience to the Reds’ midfield, but a reported asking price of £70m (Kaveh Solhekol) is staggering for a 30-year-old who’s endured no fewer than 23 separate absences through illness or injury in the last four years (Transfermarkt).
Jurgen Klopp has already had to contend with worryingly injury-prone midfielders throughout his time in charge at Anfield, so it’d be foolhardy in the extreme to spend such a massive sum of money on yet another, particularly when he’d carry meagre resale value given his age.
Even if Verratti is desperate to get out of PSG given the ongoing circus there, Liverpool shouldn’t be the club to offer him an escape route from the Parc des Princes.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones
70million for a 30yrs plAyer doesn’t make sense..rather go for 23yr old Andre with many years to adopt
Liverpool would never pay that much for a player of that age, I doubt they’d pay even half that amount
At that age he’s just not wanted or needed.