Liverpool are beginning to formulate plans for the upcoming transfer window.
Although the Reds currently don’t know who will be in charge by the time the summer window rolls around, the rumour mill continues to spin.
One of the players most heavily linked so far has been Wolves forward Pedro Neto. In the midst of a good season with the Midlands club, Neto looks set to move on at the end of the season. And according to journalist Ben Jacobs for The Daily Briefing, Liverpool are likely to be in the mix.
“It’s understood that offers will be engaged with from £65m+, but the final number Wolves are looking for could be as high as £80m,” Jacobs reports. “No specific fee is being quoted yet directly to interested clubs.
“The only advantage the likes of Arsenal and Spurs perhaps have is Wolves, like many other Premier League clubs, will be conscious of profit and sustainability rules.
“A summer sale is looking quite likely, and along with the two north London clubs, Liverpool can’t be entirely discounted either, but a lot will depend on their new sporting director and manager first.”
Liverpool in the mix for Neto
Of course, it’s tricky to nail down an exact plan for Liverpool this summer. For the first time since summer of 2015, a manager other than Jurgen Klopp will oversee the transfer window.
Much has changed in the years since. Back then, the Reds were trying to bring in players having just finished seventh in the Premier League.
Without the lure of Champions League football, or anything at all really, things were difficult for Liverpool.
Nevertheless, that window in particular was still a relative success. Although mistakes were made with Christian Benteke and Dany Ings, a certain Roberto Firmino did arrive. So too did James Milner and Joe Gomez, for a grand total of £3.5m.
That was proof of Liverpool’s extensive recruitment process in perfect work. And although Klopp is leaving and Michael Edwards is already long gone from the club, that process still remains largely intact.
As a result, we can expect to see much of the same from Liverpool. The profile of player may be slightly different depending on which manager comes in, but the strategy will continue.
With that in mind, we just don’t see how the Reds come up with something in between £65-80m for Neto.
The 23-year-old is a fine player and has had a solid season so far. But he hasn’t done anything like enough to warrant spending that kind of money.
As Liverpool weigh up which direction to go in within a post-Mohamed Salah world, Neto is worth assessing. Unless the price dramatically drops though, we’d mark the Reds as outsiders in this one. There’s no smoke without fire though, so don’t rule them out.
