It’s common knowledge by now that Liverpool are yearning to make midfield additions this month, and they could be at risk of letting one ideal summer transfer target slip through their fingers.
TEAMtalk reported in June that the Reds could enter the mix for Tyler Adams following Leeds’ Premier League demise, with The Athletic reporting towards the end of July that his contract contains a £20m relegation release clause in his contract, half of his previous rumoured asking price.
Despite that revelation, no concrete links have since emerged involving the Merseysiders and the USA international, but a familiar foe has now made their move to try and lure him from Elland Road.
In his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside on Sunday morning, Fabrizio Romano wrote that Chelsea ‘have made contact‘ with the 24-year-old’s camp ‘to be informed of the conditions for a potential deal‘, with the west Londoners potentially taking advantage of the aforementioned clause.
Adams is by no means the first player to have been linked with both Liverpool and Chelsea this summer, with the Blues also reportedly trying to muscle in on a move for Romeo Lavia and being linked with farfetched Anfield target Kylian Mbappe.
Reds fans who may be frustrated with the absence of any new signings since Dominik Szoboszlai’s arrival five weeks ago could be further irritated by seeing Mauricio Pochettino’s side contacting the Leeds midfielder.
The 24-year-old seems very much like the kind of player LFC should be pushing hard to sign this month, considering his position, high-level experience (239 career appearances across club and country, as per Transfermarkt) and modest price from the relegation clause.
Only one player averaged more than his 3.7 tackles per game in the Premier League last season, with that figure substantially higher than Liverpool’s best performer in that regard (Thiago with 2.4 per match), as per WhoScored.
That marks Adams out as a midfielder who’d add plenty of bite to the Reds’ engine room, and the need for an experienced, no-nonsense number 6 is glaring after Fabinho left for Al-Ittihad.
Depending on how Chelsea’s initial contact progresses, the Blues may have scored an early psychological advantage over us ahead of next Sunday’s Premier League showdown by making a move for the previously LFC-linked American.
It’s not too late for Liverpool to act, though. This is a £20m transfer trick not to be missed.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones