Liverpool have done ‘major work’ on transfer targets Konrad Laimer and Ruben Neves according to Graeme Bailey.
It’s no secret that the Reds are looking to sign an elite midfielder either in January or at the end of the season. The journalist has revealed that despite completing the deadline day loan signing of Arthur Melo from Juventus in the summer, the Merseysiders looked to strike deals with the two talented central midfielders.
The former Barcelona man sustained a muscle injury in training during his early days at the club and has therefore been limited to just one appearance for the FA Cup champions this term.
“Liverpool did a lot of work towards the end of the window, but in the end instead of spending they went with Arthur – a deal that has not been a success under any measure,” Bailey told TEAMtalk.
“But as well as Arthur they also did major work on Konrad Laimer and Ruben Neves. Neves has been linked with a number of clubs in recent times with Manchester United and Barcelona amongst those who had shown an interest in the past 12 months or so – but whether he is available in January remains to be seen, as new boss Julen Lopetegui won’t be wanting to lose any of his big names.
“The problem with Tielemans is two-fold at the moment, in that the main problem for January is that Leicester do not want to sell and that is not a huge shock given their excellent run of form.
“It seems Leicester would be willing to let him leave in the summer on a free instead and when he is available, Arsenal like him a lot and have a done a great deal of work on him.
“One name very much in contention is Konrad Laimer. The Austrian saw a move to Bayern Munich fall through, but now he very much has his options open. He is out of contract in the summer and RB Leipzig are ready to do business.
“He has just returned from injury and will be fully fit for the season re-start, and Liverpool do like him.”
Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham is believed to be Liverpool’s top transfer target at the moment but the Bundesliga outfit are expected to slap a price tag of around £120m on the 19-year-old.
In terms of Wolves midfielder Neves, he was asked about his future in the summer and he appeared to be far from confident that he was staying at Molineux but he did eventually decide to stay put in the East Midlands.
With his side currently sat at rock bottom of the league, though, he could certainly be weighing up his options in the coming months.
Laimer, meanwhile, has previously admitted that he’s a fan of the Anfield outfit and you’d therefore expect him to jump at the chance to move to Merseyside and play under Klopp – a manager recognised as one of the best in the world.
Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique recently urged his old side to make a move for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans in January.
His contract expires at the end of the season meaning the Foxes may be willing to let him leave for a cut-price fee in the new year.
We may have a busy couple of transfer windows on the horizon with Fabrizio Romano revealing recently that strengthening the midfield is Klopp’s ‘priority’.
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