Neil Jones has pinpointed one midfielder in whom Liverpool ‘definitely’ have an interest this summer and could find ‘hard to resist’.
Having missed out on the Champions League for next season, and with several players departing and Jorg Schmadtke seemingly set to come in as the Reds’ new sporting director, it could be a very busy few months around the corridors of Anfield ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The reliable GOAL reporter has compiled a list of the 10 players who appear the most likely potential signings for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2023, with Khephren Thuram of Nice singled out as one particular target of note.
Jones wrote: “At 22 and having shone in Ligue 1 for Nice, Thuram looks primed, like his brother Marcus, for a transfer this summer. And while Liverpool sources have played down suggestions that a move to Anfield is in the offing, there is definitely interest on the Reds’ part.
“Understandably so, too. Thuram’s age and skillset make him a more than interesting proposition, and for a side which has lacked bite and energy for large parts of this season, it could be one that is hard to resist.”
As if to back up the above point about the 22-year-old bringing ‘bite and energy’ to the midfield, a scout report from Total Football Analysis described him as ‘a tall, physical player who yields in dominance with the ball and an attack-minded midfielder who always tends to take his team up the pitch’.
The latter point is reaffirmed by statistics from FBref. He’s averaged 3.25 progressive carries and 1.63 successful take-ons per game this season, placing him among the top 8% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues for both metrics.
Also, as alluded to by Jones, Thuram is still quite a young player, yet he’s one with three-and-a-half seasons of regular Ligue 1 football in his pocket – plus a prolonged European run this term (Transfermarkt) – so he’s already well accustomed to playing at a high level.
It’s therefore no surprise that Liverpool chiefs could find the Frenchman ‘hard to resist’ this summer, even if a possible move for him could depend on transfer activity elsewhere.
Alexis Mac Allister looks increasingly likely to arrive, with a prospective outlay of £70m being quoted in some reports (Daily Mail), so it then becomes a matter of how much of the budget would still remain and where the Nice midfielder sits among the Reds’ list of priorities.