Liverpool steps up hunt for £70m midfield star in huge statement from Jurgen Klopp: Report

Liverpool are targeting a great replacement for outgoing Jordan Henderson

Liverpool are looking for a £70m replacement for Jordan Henderson after the Reds captain agreed terms to move to Saudi Arabia.

Henderson will end his 12-year spell at Merseyside this summer to join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. The 33-year-old is rumored to sign a three-year deal.

As well as Henderson’s departure from Liverpool, Fabinho could also leave, with a £40m transfer reportedly closed for the Brazilian.

If both continue, manager Jurgen Klopp will lose five senior midfielders this summer, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita all departing at the end of last season. Now the Mail are reporting that Liverpool are now targeting £70m-rated Cheick Doucour.

The Mali midfielder only joined Crystal Palace last summer for an estimated transfer fee of £18million. The manager he was bought from, Patrick Vieira, has since left the club and been replaced by Roy Hodgson.

Aged just 23, Doucoure has already impressed as a defensive midfielder at Lens in Ligue 1 and could well be used by Klopp as the only No6 with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister joining the No8s. However, Doucoure could also appear as number 8.

It is likely that whatever position Trent Alexander-Arnold is in, he will join him as an inverted full-back. Palace have already signed Jefferson Lerma from Bournemouth on a free transfer in the transfer market.

Although the Colombian has been signed to suit alongside Doucoure, he can perform some of the same duties and the £70m transfer fee should enable the Eagles to adequately deliver in a range of positions.

Hodgson could also face the loss of Wilf Zaha on a free transfer this summer and face the task of replacing one of his most influential performers, suggesting a massive transfer fee could benefit Selhurst Park.

More news……

The $46 million Fabinho heir has been ‘accidentally’ discovered, confirming Liverpool’s transfer masterstroke.

With one outstanding transfer deal completed, Liverpool has new cause for celebration. A Fabinho heir may have been ‘accidentally’ discovered somewhere else.

In the current transfer market, Liverpool may feel as though it is starting over from scratch. Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis MacAllister appeared to have the midfield rebuild on track, but Saudi Arabia has slammed that conclusion.

If the rumored deals for Jordan Henderson and Fabinho go through, Liverpool might find itself in need of purchasing two more midfielders. With no senior defensive presence currently on the roster, a direct starting replacement for the Brazilian would be especially important.

Inadvertent assistance may have been provided to Jörg Schmadtke and Jürgen Klopp in that regard, with a Premier League rival possibly identifying an ideal candidate. From the anticipated Fabinho proceeds, the price being quoted could be fully covered.

But that’s unusual; most transfer fees currently being discussed serve only to confirm Liverpool’s masterstroke this transfer window. Whatever transpires for the remainder of the summer, one transaction will be difficult to surpass.

Liverpool made a brilliant transfer.

Moisés Caicedo is one player Liverpool may not pursue as it searches for a replacement for Fabinho, according to Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy, who claims he is “not on the list.”. However, the Brighton man is something in which Chelsea is very much interested.

A second $92 million (£70 million/€82 million) transfer bid from the Blues was reportedly rejected, according to The Athletic. For a player who had just finished his first season in the Premier League, that is an incredible sum of money.

But the transfer market is operating in that manner. Despite this, Liverpool was able to use a release clause to obtain Mac Allister from the exact same club for half that sum, which is starting to seem like an unbelievable deal. James Martin’s complete story can be found here.

“Accidentally” discovered was Fabinho’s heir.

When the transfer window first opened, Caicedo and a certain Declan Rice were probably on the list of “ideal” Fabinho successors. Of course, Liverpool had no idea it would lose the Brazilian at the time, effectively ruling out any attempts to sign truly marquee targets.

Rice finally finished this week what had been a protracted transfer to Arsenal. Due to West Ham’s current need for a replacement, this has started a series of events that could result in Liverpool finding a good transfer alternative.

The Hammers are interested in Edson Lvarez, and a $46 million (£35 million/€41 million) bid may be on the table. He would make a good Rice heir if he possessed the same qualities, and he would succeed Fabinho if the Brazilian was “accidentally” replaced. Josh Williams has more to say here.