The summer transfer window officially opens on Friday with Liverpool starting to kick into gear.
The Reds have so far been especially quiet in the market, as they lay their plans for Arne Slot’s first summer in charge.
There is surely work to be done to the Liverpool squad, with Slot said to be targeting a new centre-back in particular.
But a defender feels unlikely to be the only addition at Anfield. Liverpool reportedly want a new attacker, while a new defensive midfielder could be on the cards, too.
In this kind of market though, the Liverpool owners are going to have to stump up some quite incredible fees to get what they need.
Liverpool told Joao Neves asking price
Liverpool’s transfer kitty could yet be boosted by some big sales this summer. Surprise reports from Thursday claimed that Virgil van Dijk has an offer to leave the club.
Should Van Dijk wish to push ahead on the contract proposal from Al Nassr, the Saudi Arabian side will have to pay a big fee to get him out of Liverpool.
Alisson Becker is another who has some potential to go. Alisson is reportedly now Al Nassr’s top target and would also command an enormous price-tag.
Hopefully Liverpool don’t eventually have to sell either of those two stalwarts. As last year’s mega offer for Moises Caicedo showed, the Reds have plenty of money in the bank.
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And according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, they’re going to need it in order to sign one reported target.
It was claimed this week that Liverpool are readying an offer for Joao Neves of Benfica. The 19-year-old has a release clause of over £100m.
Writing on X on Thursday evening though, Hawkins claimed that Neves could be bought for slightly cheaper than that. Benfica still want a huge fee, however, and Liverpool seemingly face competition from PSG.
“Joao Neves: priority for Luis Enrique in the midfield but very complicated for PSG,” says the reporter. “The two parties have spoken recently. The main problem remains the price asked by Benfica: more than €100M [£84.1m].
Liverpool ready for Joao Neves push
If Liverpool are to go big on a defensive midfielder this summer, then Neves would feel like the one to go for.
At just 19, the Portugal international is incredibly young and would therefore represent a gamble.
But with Liverpool also targeting 18-year-old Leny Yoro, it would be hugely exciting to get two of the best talents in Europe at Anfield.
It would be costly, but the Reds would then be set up for the next decade at both centre-back and in defensive midfield.
Diogo Jota has already raved about Neves, showing that the youngster is impressing quality players who are a lot older than him.
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes has also hailed Neves as being ‘excellent’ [The Metro]. These are top players who recognise something special in Neves. He’s surely worth the money.