Liverpool transfer news, rumours, gossip and speculation including updates on Jude Bellingham Josko Gvardiol, N’Golo Kante, Kylian Mbappe, Piotr Zielinski and more.
Liverpool are once again being linked with a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, who was in Champions League action against Manchester City last night.
There has also been an update on the future of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, as well as a claim made about Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe.
Ruud van Nistlerooy makes ‘strong’ Cody Gakpo claim following Real Madrid performance
PSV Eindhoven boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has praised striker Cody Gakpo after his strong showings for the Reds in recent weeks.
Gakpo, 23, opened his account for Jurgen Klopp’s side during the 2-0 win against Everton earlier this month and looks to finally be setting into life on Merseyside. The Dutch international also netted in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Newcastle five days later.
Joining from PSV in January, Gakpo often faced criticism for his lack of threat in front of goal, with Jurgen Klopp’s trust seemingly paying dividends in recent weeks.
Van Nistelrooy – who allowed the forward to join Liverpool last month – was keen to issue his praise despite Liverpool’s defeat against Real Madrid in midweek, believing it was only a matter of time before the 23-year-old got to grips with the demands of English football.
“I thought Cody was strong. Just like all of Liverpool in the first 20 minutes,” he told De Telegraaf.
“They were blowing away Real Madrid and Cody was strong. He had some great ball-saving moments, playing the ball to the side and moving well.
“Cody also had some switching moments after ball loss, winning the ball back and looked very sharp. But that was also the case against Newcastle United, when he scored his first goal, and in the derby against Everton. You see he adapts quickly to that level.”
Cody Gakpo of Liverpool celebrates after scoring the second goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC at St. James Park (Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Rafa Benitez picks three quality signings he missed out on at Liverpool
Rafa Benitez has revealed the Real Madrid player he really wanted to sign for Liverpool when selling Michael Owen to the Spanish giants in 2004.
With a year left on his contract at Anfield, the England international joined Real Madrid in a deal worth £12m in August 2004, as the Reds received £8m and Antonio Nunez in exchange.
However, the Spaniard endured an injury-plagued stint with Liverpool. While he would win the Champions League and score in the League Cup final, he would make 27 appearances, of which only 13 were starts, in what proved to be his solitary season with the Reds before returning to Spain with Celta Vigo.
Yet Benitez had an entirely different player in mind who he initially tried to sign after agreeing to sell the striker – Juanfran.
“I had to try to get the best deal for my football club,” he said on the We Are Liverpool Podcast. “I was talking with Real because I knew Real Madrid quite well, and I was talking with a friend of mine, who was a journalist close to the president, to give me information about what they were thinking. And I knew 100 percent that they would do the deal.
“So I said to Rick Parry: ‘Rick, we have to do this price, and try to get this young player Juanfran in the deal’. Juanfran was playing for Real Madrid’s B team, and went on to play for Atletico Madrid as a right full-back and right winger. We needed a right winger.
“They said no, and then they put (Antonio) Nunez in the deal. We got Nunez, who was injured (a lot) and was maybe not the best signing, but I was trying to bring someone else to improve the deal for us, because it was done, it was just a question of how much.”
Juanfran would spend the 2005/06 season on loan at Espanyol, before joining Osasuna on a free transfer in 2006. He’d then join Atletico Madrid in 2011 for €4m.
The defender would go on to make 355 appearances for Atletico after leaving the Bernabeu, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, two Europa Leagues and reaching two Champions League finals, as well as winning Euro 2012 with Spain.
Meanwhile, Juanfran wasn’t the only player Benitez revealed he had missed out on during his time at Liverpool. He again recalled how the Reds missed out on Dani Alves because they didn’t have the funds for both the Brazilian and Dirk Kuyt.
He also revealed how he tried to sign Stefan Jovetic in 2009, believing a £16m transfer fee was within his budget only to be told otherwise by club bosses.
“I wanted to sign Jovetic,” he said. “He was playing for Fiorentina and the price was £16m. In my head, with my budget, I had the money. And then when I went to sign him I was told ‘no, you don’t have the money’.
“Then we played against Fiorentina, we lost 2-0, Jovetic scored two goals. This was the player that I wanted. These are the kind of things that fans don’t know. As a manager, you have to make decisions depending on the money available.”
PSV Eindhoven fans bid farewell to Cody Gakpo
Liverpool January signing Cody Gakpo said farewell to his boyhood club PSV Eindhoven during their Europa League clash on Thursday.
A banner was unveiled at the Phillips Stadion during the interval of their Europa League clash with Sevilla.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side were looking to overturn a three-goal deficit against the Spaniard. For the 23-year-old Dutchman, the fixture allowed an opportunity to say one final goodbye to the club he captained after arriving on Merseyside last month.
As part of the farewell, the 23-year-old met Mart van den Heuvel upon entering the pitch to a standing ovation and was gifted a framed PSV shirt.
Real Madrid dealt another injury blow after Liverpool Champions League clash
Real Madrid will be sweating over the fitness of David Alaba for the second-leg of their Champions League last 16 clash against Liverpool.
The Austrian defender was forced off inside half an hour during the first-leg and the scan results have come back to show he has suffered a hamstring injury, according to The Atheltic. Prior to his early exit, the Reds enjoyed success down the Madrid right as Mohamed Salah got beyond the 30-year-old.
However, his replacement Nacho Fernandez thwarted the Egyptian’s threat with Carlo Ancelotti’s side going on to romp to a 5-2 win over Jurgen Klopp. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the return leg in the Spanish capital as he faces a race against time to be in the starting line-up for the showdown when they meet on March 15.
That wasn’t the only injury concern for the Italian head coach as Rodrygo withdrew in the latter stages and will now be out for 10 days – missing the Madrid derby with Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Aurelien Tchouameni, who missed the meeting at Anfield with flu, is back in team training ahead of this weekend’s clash with Diego Simeone’s side before they face league-leaders Barcelona in the Copa del Rey quarter-final.
Klopp’s side will have to dust themselves down ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Selhurst Park this weekend for their clash with Crystal Palace (Saturday, 7:45pm). When their attention returns to the Champions League, they will need to score three unanswered goals to take the game to extra-time.
Real Madrid defender David Alaba. (Image: Photo by Alex Livesey – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
CONFIRMED: Ibrahima Konate back in training
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has returned to first-team training following a layoff through injury, the Liverpool ECHO can confirm.
After he posted a cryptic message on Instagram, the Reds centre-back has indeed made his steps towards recovery.
Konate has been absent since the FA Cup fourth-round defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion on January 29 after suffering a hamstring problem.
The France international sat out the Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers and the subsequent wins over Everton and Newcastle United, and was among a number of players missing from Tuesday’s 5-2 Champions League round of 16 first leg defeat to Real Madrid at Anfield.
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool (Image: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Liverpool could be handed Bellingham boost by Real Madrid
Liverpool could be dealt a boost in their pursuit of Jude Bellingham following reports that Real Madrid believe they have ‘almost no chance’ in signing the 19-year-old.
That is according to The Athletic who says the 14-time European champions are pessimistic over their chances of acquiring the highly-rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder. Liverpool are keen suitors for the former Birmingham City youngster and have held an interest in him in recent seasons.
His stock has risen after eye-catching performances in Germany, in the Champions League for Edin Terzic’s side and the recent winter World Cup with England.
Los Blancos are among Liverpool’s rivals to sign Bellingham with Manchester City also looking to make another high profile signing from the Yellow Wall.
Writing for the publication, David Ornstein said: “Sources close to the club insist they have almost no chance of doing the deal because of the financials; they gave out a similar message last year when they felt Erling Haaland was no longer achievable.
“Real insist they have a number — which is much lower than the €150million ballpark Dortmund want — that they won’t go past for this deal.
“They would point to the relatively low fees they have paid for players in recent seasons compared to the richer English clubs and are expecting Bellingham to go to the Premier League.
“Unlike Liverpool, a midfielder is not Real’s first priority either. They urgently need a No 9 or a wide attacker who can play on the right with Karim Benzema now 35 years old.”
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham (Image: Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
