Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Twitter that Jurgen Klopp had called Aurelien Tchouameni in an attempt to convince the Frenchman to choose Liverpool over Real Madrid.
Failed attempt as it was, it suggests that the Reds would be prepared to fork out a big sum this summer to land a key target.
Tchouaméni deal ⭐️🇫🇷
▫️ Klopp called him for Liverpool.
▫️ PSG made the best proposal.
▫️ Player only wanted Real Madrid.
▫️ Personal terms agreed with Madrid in Paris, before UCL final.
▫️ Breakthrough in the negotiations between clubs yesterday.
▫️ Done deal with Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/uFWV7X134o— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 7, 2022
That figure, presumably around the £68m initial fee Real Madrid provided for the 22-year-old’s signature, may perhaps be exclusively reserved for the middle of the park.
Though, one might imagine the forward line will be similarly prioritised given the quality of player potentially lost in Sadio Mane once the summer transfer window opens.
£68m initial fee 💰💰
Might argue that money would be better spent elsewhere. Either way, you can guarantee Liverpool will have quality alternatives lined up – historically they've worked out quite well! 🔴 #LFC https://t.co/XqSvORL9Tz
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) June 7, 2022
Should Nunez be deemed critical to the next evolutionary stage of the forward line – not forgetting either the uncertainty around our No.10’s future at the club – then we’d hope that the recruitment team will take the prospect of additions up front as seriously as the midfield.
The Uruguayan’s numbers in the Portuguese top-flight certainly indicate a great deal of raw potential within the striker, who has amassed an impressive tally of 26 league goals alone from the prior campaign.
Depending on the extent to which his £66m valuation, which we at the Empire of the Kop were informed could be enough to secure the signature of the former Almeria hitman, rises, of course, we could be forced to identify another alternative.