Liverpool receive significant BOOST in hunt for €75m centre-back

Yahoo

2 days ago

While some teams will still have the Club World Cup on their fixture lists, the 2024/25 season-proper has come to an end and the players will now have the opportunity to assess their futures.
From June 1 until June 10, the transfer window will open temporarily, before it reopens on June 17 until September 1, allowing this summer's recruitment activity to take place.
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Liverpool are already looking to make use of the extra time with offers for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez set to follow the completed transfer of Jeremie Frimpong.
However, beyond that trio, the club is also looking at a new striker, centre-back, defensive midfielder and potentially a left-winger as well, ahead of ratifying Giorgi Mamardashvili's move from Valencia.
In last night's Champions League final - a celebration of both Inter Milan and Paris Saint Germain's quality - a number of potential recruits stood out, with one appearing more promising than others.
© IMAGO - Richard Hughes Liverpool 2024-25
Are Inter pushing Bastoni out the door?
Despite how impressive it is reaching two Champions League finals in three years, the Inter players will have been absolutely gutted after losing 5-0 to PSG last night, not least because eight days earlier they missed out on the Serie A title to Napoli by one point on the last day of the league season.
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Two pretty killer blows to end what had looked to be an incredibly impressive season; especially given the self-belief was there after managing to surpass Hansi Flick's Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Furthermore, it was AC Milan that knocked Inter out of the Coppa Italia back in April, and AC had also beaten their rivals in the Italian Super Cup in January as well.
Dreams of a historic double have instead been marred by a disappointing trophy-less season.
The club's participation in the Club World Cup might offer a glimpse of hope that this campaign has not been a complete disaster, but the players must surely be considering their options this summer.
In 26-year-old Alessandro Bastoni, Inter have one of the best centre-backs on the planet and Liverpool are incredibly keen about a potential move of the Italian wants out of Milan.
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He's a strong and elegant defender, not too dissimilar to Virgil Van Dijk and having a player of his stature, experience and leadership qualities to rely on would embolden the team for the long-term.
Van Dijk's contract extension is only valid until 2027 and there are doubts about Ibrahima Konate's commitment to the team moving forward following a disappointing past few months of contract negotiations.
As such, at €75 million (£62m), any potential deal would be at a reasonable price for a player who is entering the prime years of his career and is already outstanding in his position.
The player joined back in 2017, so he's seen the highs and lows of the club over the past eight years.
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At this moment, he will likely recognise that the team is in a good position to be successful, although the premiership of Simone Inzaghi might be called into doubt following underwhelming results.
Trophies are rarely a guarantee anywhere, and Liverpool will not be able to offer him that, but the project that Arne Slot is leading has enticed players so far, and the chance to play somewhere new is something that Inter cannot offer.
At 26 years old, we're quickly approaching the deadline for him to become part of a new dynasty.
Liverpool appreciate him and the club's spending power has already been demonstrated this summer; if the opportunity is there, expect the Reds to assess it, but Bastoni has to make the call.