Making his Anfield return, reports suggest that Michael Edwards is looking to make a statement signing to hand Arne Slot the perfect start to life at Liverpool this summer.
Liverpool transfer news
The Reds are preparing to bid farewell to a club legend and one of their greatest managers of all time in Jurgen Klopp, but that hasn't taken away from the preparations when it comes to life without the German. It now looks almost certain that Slot will be the next man in charge tasked with completing the almost impossible task of replacing Klopp, with the Feyenoord boss recently speaking about the news.
With that said, it's now up to Edwards to mould the current Liverpool squad into Slot's vision ahead of Liverpool's first season without Klopp in almost a decade. And that has already seen the headlines start, with the likes of Crysencio Summerville already linked with a summer switch to Anfield. But any deal for the Dutchman could quickly become overshadowed by one statement signing.
According to reports in Spain via Football365, Liverpool have upped their bid to sign Aurelien Tchouameni to a hefty €80m (£69m) ahead of the summer transfer window as they look to go all out to land the Real Madrid star.
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Tchouameni would undoubtedly be one of, if not the signing of the summer in a deal that would finally see the Reds land a target they've been chasing since his AS Monaco days. Having missed out on the midfielder under Klopp, Liverpool could now hand Slot the perfect welcome gift by sealing a deal for the Frenchman. A player of such talent would certainly make an impact and would be more than worth his reported £207k-per-week salary.
"Fantastic" Tchouameni would permanently unleash Mac Allister
As good as Alexis Mac Allister has been in his debut season at Liverpool, the World Cup winner has been occasionally limited when left with no choice but to play in a deeper role. And with Wataru Endo already 31 years old, the Reds need the long-term solution that Tchouameni would provide in abudance to permanently unlock the best form of Mac Allister.
Progressive Passes
111
199
Goals + Assists
4
9
Interceptions
28
34
Ball Recoveries
99
189
It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid will be willing to part ways with their young midfielder, however, especially after the praise of Carlo Ancelotti, who said via TNT Sports: “Without three centre-backs, Tchouameni played a fantastic game as a centre-back. It's an emergency now, but we understand he's a fantastic player in every place you put him. He's good as a number six, but also as a centre-back.”
Now, Liverpool will be hoping to benefit from that versatility and quality to steal the headlines in what is set to be a busy summer of change at Anfield as Slot arrives.