Liverpool are in the hunt for a new central midfielder and as per reports, the Premier League side is interested in signing PSG’s Marco Verratti.
The Anfield outfit are going to lose both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League which is why Klopp is so inclined to sign a new central midfielder before the new season kicks off.
Jurgen Klopp’s main focus this summer is to revamp his degraded midfield and after signing two attacking midfielders, the manager’s current priority is to sign a number eight.
Marco Verratti has been with PSG since 2012 when he joined from Pescara for around €12 million and the rumours are suggesting that if PSG get the right value they are ready to sell him off. He’s played close to 300 Ligue 1 games for PSG and his current market valuation stands at around €40 million. The midfielder’s contract with PSG expires in 2026 which is why the French side reportedly want around €70-80 million in exchange.
Will Marco Verratti choose Liverpool or Atletico Madrid?
Liverpool badly need a new central midfielder and someone like Marco Verratti can be the perfect replacement for the outgoing Fabinho. He’s strong and bullish and is an ideal candidate for the heavy-metal brand of football that Liverpool play under their German manager.
However, Atletico Madrid are also interested in signing the midfielder and this could be a major issue for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
According to L’Équipe, Atletico have been in contact with the midfielder’s representatives and the Italy international is one of the summer transfer priorities for the club.
Atletico Madrid are yet to launch a formal bid for the 30-year-old Simeone is very fond of him so it’s more or less certain that the La Liga outfit is going to make an offer very soon.
It’s still unsure whether PSG’s new boss Luis Enrique views Marco Verratti in his long-term plans or not but if the club is willing to sell him then both Atleti and Liverpool have a good chance of signing him up.
Apart from regular game time and salary, Champions League football will play a big factor in this transfer race but we seriously doubt if Liverpool will be ready to pay €80 million for a 30-year-old. They will get a fair bit of money from Fabinho and Henderson’s exits but Liverpool’s management won’t be ready to spend all of it on signing just one player.
The Anfield outfit have never been massive spenders and whenever they have spent big, it has always been on world-class signings. Unless PSG lower their demands to around €55-60 million we don’t see Liverpool going into a direct fight with Atletico Madrid.
A player like Marco Verratti will help solve a lot of problems in the midfield area but the club’s chasing other midfielders like Romeo Lavaia and Kalvin Phillips and Klopp would much rather spend money on these relatively young players(19 and 27 years respectively) rather than go after Marco Verratti.
Marco Verratti will love to have options but there’s a very big chance that Liverpool will refuse to get into a price war which means the midfielder, in the end, will only have Atletico Madrid as his next possible destination.
