Liverpool are reportedly rivalling Barcelona for a deal to sign Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The lowdown
Liverpool have reportedly held an interest in signing Lille midfielder Sanches this summer, and the midfielder could be available if the French club’s valuation of the 23-year-old are met.
Sanches has been with Lille since 2019, and has made 60 appearances in total for them. The Portugal international played his part in the club’s title-winning campaign last term, and it appears as though his showings haven’t gone unnoticed.
Liverpool will be looking to add depth to their midfield options in the near future, with the Reds struggling with injuries last season and having lost Georginio Wijnaldum this summer.
The latest
Speaking on the ‘Here we go podcast’, Romano has confirmed that Liverpool and Spanish giants Barcelona are interested in a deal to sign Sanches this summer.
Romano has also claimed that the price tag that Lille are looking for is in the region of €40million, with Liverpool having to sell players to fund new signings ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
“It’s Barcelona and Liverpool that are interested in Renato Sanches – but the price tag is around 40 million euros so we will see what happens in the coming days. For Liverpool, it’s important to sell players to sign new players.”
The verdict
Sanches could be the ideal replacement for Wijnaldum, who departed Anfield in favour of a move to French giants PSG.
Additional strength in depth is certainly needed within the Liverpool squad this term, as injuries were a major reason as to why they failed to retain their Premier League title from the 2019/20 campaign.
Sanches had an average Whoscored rating of 6.41 from the 2020/21 season, and at the age of 23, he could turn out to be a shrewd signing for the Reds in the long-term.
Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique labelled Sanches as a ‘great player’, before predicting that Jurgen Klopp could help him become a ‘world class’ player in the future.
“He always been a great player. If I’m not wrong he was named best player of the Under-21 tournament that he was involved.
“The problem he had is like many young players he had everything too quick and until he settled it took him few years, but it looks like the type of player that I believe Klopp can help him become a world class player.”
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