Liverpool want Fulham's Joao Palhinha but are wary of £60m price tag
Liverpool want Fulham’s Joao Palhinha but are wary of £60m price tag, and hold interest in Cheick Doucoure and Khephren Thuram as they scramble for midfielders after losing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia
- Fulham star has emerged as the club’s preferred option in defensive midfield
- Liverpool are poised to miss out on both their targets in the position to Chelsea
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Liverpool face a race against time to land much-needed reinforcements in midfield with Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Crystal Palace youngster Cheick Doucoure among the favoured options.
The Reds have been left reeling following Chelsea’s double swoop of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, despite the Anfield club first agreeing a British transfer record fee for the former after they had spent much of the summer courting the latter.
Now scrambling to secure the vital signing of a defensive midfielder before the transfer window slams shut on September 1, Mail Sport understands as many as six targets are being considered.
Fulham’s combative midfielder Palhinha, who led the league for successful tackles last term, is believed to be the most admired of the options. However, the club is unsure whether to stump up the £60million-plus it would take to pry the 28-year-old away from Craven Cottage.
Despite his obvious talents, the Portuguese international is much older than the club’s preferred profile of acquisition and is currently sidelined after being forced off in his side’s pre-season friendly against Brentford with a shoulder injury last month.
Fulham slapped a £60m price tag on Joao Palhinha after interest last month from West Ham
Crystal Palace signed 23-year-old Cheick Doucoure from Lens last summer for a fee of £22m
Liverpool have been left reeling from Chelsea’s decisive double swoop of targets Moises Caicedo (left) and Romeo Lavia (right)
Palace youngster Doucoure, who only joined the side from Ligue 1 outfit Lens last summer, is another player who is being considered. Liverpool had been linked with the 23-year-old earlier on in the window but were met with a £70m valuation from the Eagles.
But amid the desperation to recruit in the position – and the £110m they were willing to spend on Caicedo – Liverpool may now view the Mali international as a viable option.
Jurgen Klopp’s side had begun their summer recruitment diligently by snapping up Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined fee of £95million.
But the unplanned departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho necessitated at least one marquee arrival at the base of midfield.
Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, who is a target of Manchester United, and Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City were two names who had been ruled out prior to recent events. But they too are believed to be under consideration in the club’s current predicament.
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It speaks to an alarming change for an outfit who were renowned for many years for their astute talent identification and swift transfer dealings. But following the rapid exits of successive sporting directors, Liverpool’s operation appears have suddenly fallen behind their peers.
Reds legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher did not mince his words in a damming assessment of his former side’s current plight. Although, he stopped short of laying the blame at the feet of owners FSG.
‘It’s been an absolute mess!’ he said on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports. ‘People think I defend FSG – I’ve got no relationship with them at all. But this is not on the owners.
‘This is on the structure of the football club when you go back two years when Liverpool were the model for every team in Europe – not just the Premier League – to follow.’
He added: ‘In the space of 18 months, Liverpool have had four directors of football. They haven’t got deals done. That is your job, in that role, to get deals over the line.
Jorg Schmadtke (pictured) replaced Julian Ward as sporting director on a short-term in May
Liverpool could be willing to restart talks with Nice over the signing of 22-year-old midfielder Khephren Thuram following their recent setbacks
‘The two players Liverpool bought had buyout clauses. There’s no negotiating, there’s no big deal to go about it, you just meet the buyout clause.
‘Liverpool have not got deals over the line, and it’s been embarrassing. You start with Lavia, don’t pay a certain amount, then you go for Caicedo, get something agreed. That’s why I will not be critical of the owners, they were willing to pay £110m and break the transfer record.’
During Liverpool’s back and forth with Southampton over Lavia, the club were reportedly taking a look at Andre as alternative. But the 22-year-old’s role in a Fluminese side that has reached the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores has ‘reinforced’ the Brazilian outfit’s unwillingness to sell in this window.
Finally, Nice’s Khephren Thuram is yet another player who is now being reconsidered. Interest in the 22-year-old cooled after being heavily linked with a move to Anfield earlier this summer.
The club reportedly walked away from talks last month and instead opted to pursue Lavia.
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