Jordan Henderson, the team captain, is expected to leave Liverpool this summer, making Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure a transfer target.
Following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool’s midfield is undergoing a significant makeover in preparation for the upcoming season. Although Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have already been signed, the Reds still have a lot of business to do before the window closes.
Henderson is about to transfer to Saudi Arabia, and Al-Ettifaq is prepared to offer the 33-year-old £12 million plus add-ons. He will rejoin former colleague Steven Gerrard, who currently serves as Al-Ettifaq’s manager, in the move, and another Liverpool midfielder Fabinho is very certain to sign with Al-Ittihad.
As a result, they are investigating potential candidates, and the Daily Mail reports that Doucoure is on their list. However, Palace’s exorbitant asking price might be a problem.
According to the source, Palace, which acquired Doucoure from Lens last summer for about £20 million, values him at an astounding £70 million. Liverpool is thought to have ‘concrete interest’ in Doucoure, despite the fact that they have not yet made an official move for the 23-year-old.
Despite their fervent desire to keep the midfielder at Selhurst Park, Palace is reportedly “bracing themselves for an enquiry” and would find it tough to turn down a price of between £70 million and £80 million.
In May, Palace manager Roy Hodgson, who had previously been in charge of Liverpool, gushed about Doucoure, saying: “He has been very influential. He is one of those players who occupies a spot that acts as a sort of fulcrum for both attacking and defending midfield action.
He is influential because of his “positional sense, ability to read the game, technical ability, and the fact that he moves around the field so well.” It’s good to see that he ranks among those who have made the most interceptions, I noticed.
Romeo Lavia has also been linked to Liverpool, but a prospective trade may fall through due to Southampton’s high asking price. Southampton places a £50 million valuation on the adolescent, who is also rumored to be of interest to Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Athletic claims that Liverpool does have a number of other midfielders on their list of potential Henderson and Fabinho replacements. They are also keeping an eye on Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City, Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich, Boubacar Kamara of Aston Villa, and Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina.
Following a preseason friendly against Karlsruher, when asked about the fates of Henderson and Fabinho, Klopp responded, “As long as things are not actually fully determined, we don’t have to talk about it. We will likely need to discuss it at some point, but that time is not now, he said.
“I’m not sure whether anything has been determined, so I have nothing to say at the time. All of these choices [regarding players] are ultimately made by me. And it’s typically with their permission, who I greatly respect. It was in this instance, and everything is well.
