Liverpool have been warned that one reported transfer target will certainly not come cheap if they’re to prise him from his current club in 2024.
Earlier this weeks, reports emerged of the Reds showing an interest in Nayef Aguerd, who they could potentially ‘join the race’ to sign in January.
However, according to Football Insider, the Irons will demand a ‘huge’ fee for the 27-year-old, who’s also believed to have attracted admiring glances from Manchester City.
Having signed him from Rennes for £30m last summer, the east London club recently blocked his prospective sale to Al-Ittihad in the week after the English transfer deadline passed but the window remained open in Saudi Arabia.
Aguerd has enjoyed a memorable last 12 months for club and country, playing his part in Morocco’s run to the World Cup semi-finals and starting for West Ham in their Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina.
While injuries played a part in restricting him to just 17 Premier League starts last season, he’s started all but one top-flight match so far this term and scored in their 3-1 win over Chelsea in August (WhoScored).
The 27-year-old is primarily left-footed, a trait which is marked absent among Liverpool’s current centre-back options and has duly seen them linked with the likes of Levi Colwill and Lloyd Kelly in recent weeks and months.
Unlike that duo, though, Aguerd wouldn’t contribute towards the Reds’ homegrown quota for domestic and European squads. Also, considering how his stock has risen thanks to Morocco and West Ham’s feats, the Irons would surely demand much more than the £30m for which they bought him.
There are other left-footed centre-backs out there who’d probably tick more boxes overall than the £50,000-per-week earner (FBref), who was labelled ‘exceptional‘ by Gary Lineker on Match of the Day in February after a particularly impressive performance against Newcastle.
However, if Jurgen Klopp is desperate for reinforcements in that area when January comes, the World Cup semi-finalist could perhaps be worth considering, depending on the Hammers’ asking price.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
You can’t afford him.
Unless you hand over all the Mo money for him and Bowen
I can see it coming January….. aguerd out…… maguire in…… joke business