Media Digest: Liverpool could make an ideal transfer move for $16m less than first anticipated, while one of Jürgen Klopp’s current stars has seen a move ruled out.
Liverpool has been handed a possible incentive to sign a highly-rated Bundesliga star, with Borussia Mönchengladbach supposedly having slashed the price tag attached to 21-year-old midfielder Kouadio Koné.
Koné was valued at $48m (£40m/€45m), but could now be available for $32m (£27m/€30m), BILD (via Gladbach Live) reports, because he will only have two years left on his contract in the summer, when plenty of interest is anticipated.
Mönchengladbach is also set to lose Marcus Thuram for free when his deal comes to an end, meaning it faces a significant rebuild which the funds generated from selling Koné can be put towards.
Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, West Ham and PSG are also among the clubs listed as being interested in Koné, with Liverpool’s need for new midfielders clear as they chase more than just Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham.
Sky Sports reported in the summer that Liverpool was tracking Koné, while Football Transfers reported in January that he ‘remained’ a target.
Transfer ‘completely ruled out’
Arthur Melo is working on his fitness as he bids to make another appearance before the end of his season-long loan from Juventus, but with matches running out and other options now available, it is touch and go whether or not he makes another matchday squad.
Arthur has only played a few minutes against Napoli in the Champions League and is not in the European squad for the second half of the season, so cannot feature in the second leg against Real Madrid.
And even with Naby Keïta injured for the Wolves match, he could not find his way onto the bench despite having managed a full 90 minutes for Liverpool’s U21s a few days ago.
Liverpool was never likely to make the deal for Arthur permanent, with his arrival very much an emergency loan, but UOL in Brazil reports that any suggestion he could sign for Grêmio is also untrue.
The 26-year-old would be too expensive for Grêmio, it is said, which makes it more likely that he heads back to Juventus. But he probably does not have a long-term future there, either, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
There is a level of talent there, clearly, but Liverpool has not been able to see it thanks to injuries. At his age, though, there is still time to turn his career around if he makes the right next move.
