In a classic case of the domino effect which often characterises the summer transfer window, Liverpool’s pursuit of a primary target could be aided by another Reds-linked player moving elsewhere.
Last month, Joao Palhinha was mentioned as a possible recruit for Jurgen Klopp, although those links have gone quiet in recent weeks.
According to Football Insider, the Fulham midfielder is now the subject of a proposed raid from Bayern Munich, who in turn could be willing to part with Ryan Gravenberch in order to land the Portugal international.
The Dutchman has been to the forefront of Liverpool transfer speculation in recent days, with the Reds set to hold crucial talks with the Bundesliga champions this weekend in an attempt to land the 21-year-old (Steve Kay).
Having recently brought in a specialist defensive midfielder in Wataru Endo, Liverpool’s need for someone like Palhinha is no longer as pronounced as what it had been at the time of Fabinho’s departure for Al-Ittihad a few weeks ago.
In Gravenberch, the Reds would instead be getting a more all-round midfield operator who can play as a number 6, 8 or even a 10 if required (Transfermarkt).
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Should Bayern be successful in landing the Fulham star, they’d have much greater scope to duly sell their Dutch midfielder, who in any case has rarely featured in their starting line-up since his move from Ajax last year (WhoScored).
Palhinha moving to Bavaria would likely aid Liverpool’s chances of signing Gravenberch, but it shouldn’t take the former happening for the Reds to push for the latter. As per Kay, the 21-year-old wants out of the Allianz Arena and has been told that the Munich giants ‘would sell’.
As ever when it comes to the final week of a transfer window, expect plenty of sudden developments as clubs aim to seize their last chance until January to fine-tune their squads for the season ahead.
#Ep87 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay & Tobi Altschäffl 🎙️
Sloppy seconds is all FSG is good for.