It is obvious that Alexis Mac Allister cannot and will not be Liverpool’s lone acquisition this summer. Although the Argentine is a great start, the Reds will make additional changes.
Another midfielder will be one of them, but two would be ideal. There is also a potential that Liverpool will add another defender because both the defense and the rest of the field need a long-term strategy.
In the middle of the field, Khéphren Thuram appears to be one of Liverpool’s top options. The 22-year-old Nice midfielder possesses all the skills necessary to elevate Jürgen Klopp’s team and add the vital spark and quality.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72400139/1258958226.0.jpg)
Thuram might be acquired by Nice for as cheap as $44 million (£34 million/€40 million), according to Nice Matin (translated by Get French Football News), which would be another cost-effective signing. But that most likely won’t be possible till Thuram’s participation in the U21 European Championships is complete.
Beyond him, though, what else ought to take precedence? There is a case to be made that adding two midfielders might be sufficient. Thuram would bring the total to eight if he were to join Mac Allister at Anfield, where there are currently another six midfielders.
There should be enough minutes amongst Mac Allister, Thuram, Thiago Alcântara, Stefan Bajéti, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott, and Curtis Jones. However, since Thiago’s contract expires in the summer of 2019, adding a ninth player would put the team ahead of schedule.
Roméo Lavia is one player Liverpool has reportedly considering signing who is possibly a little younger and more of a project, according to Fabrizio Romano. The cost of the Belgian would exceed $51m (£40m/€47m).
Gabri Veiga, a Spanish youth international who is on Liverpool’s list and has a release clause of $44 million (£34 million/€40 million) that the Reds might activate, is one player who would fit into this category.
Last week, Revelo journalist scar Méndez noted on Twitter that Liverpool had already extended a personal offer. Veiga is not a top priority right now, but if Liverpool decides to act, his release clause would make it very simple to complete the transfer and he would be less expensive than Lavia.
If Liverpool were to add another defender to its roster as well, that would make for the ideal summer of additions in preparation for the upcoming season. The most important player is a left-sidedr.
Football Insider has stated that Micky van de Ven and Gonçalo Inácio are two players being considered. The latter, according to German website WAZ, would cost at least $33 million (£26 million/€30 million) to sign from Wolfsburg, while the former has a $49 million (£39 million/€45 million) release clause.
According to the above numbers, Liverpool would need to spend about $76 million (£60 million/€70 million) to acquire Thuram and Van de Ven, to use one reasonable estimate. The squad must expand by a minimum of two extra members.
In a perfect world, Liverpool would recruit Thuram, Veiga, and Inacio to correctly reorganize its midfield and defense before the problems worsen. This would amount to about $136 million (£107 million/125 million), which should be reasonable for a significant summer rebuild.
