James Pearce has suggested it will be highly unlikely that Liverpool will secure the services of Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans this summer.
The Belgium international had been touted by multiple reports as a potentially viable replacement for PSG-bound ex-Red Gini Wijnaldum.
“I’d be absolutely amazed if Tielemans came to anything because you’re talking about trying to prise one of the top players off another top five/top six Premier League club,” the Liverpool journalist told The1892RedsPodcast.
“When you look at the figures being bandied around – £60 odd million – I struggle to believe Liverpool are going to go that high for a midfielder.
“I just think it would be quite an un-Liverpool-like deal.”
According to The Athletic, the Merseysiders have set a target of over £60m in player sales for the window, with the club said to be reliant to a certain degree on outgoings before pursuing further signings beyond Ibrahima Konate.
Likely to set back a side around €65m – according to Belgian journalist Sven Claes – a figure that will likely have risen following the European Championship, it’s admittedly difficult to see our purse strings stretching quite so far on one potential signing.
Assuming we remain interested in bolstering the forward line, we at the EOTK would imagine the club to thinking of spending in the region of £25-35m on a Wijnaldum replacement.
At any rate, with the Euros having since been finalised, it will likely become very clear just how reliant we will be on player sales to conduct any further business in the window.
Liverpool is not going to do a Harry Maguire transfer show like Man U.