This summer, Liverpool is still considering the idea of acquiring Cheick Doucoure, but the midfielder’s price tag is still a barrier.
The Reds are still looking around to see if any late business can be done with only a few days of the window left.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the club was “stepping up their efforts” to bring Doucoure to Anfield, but with the subsequent arrival of Wataru Endo, those links have somewhat waned in recent weeks.
Later reports claimed that Liverpool preferred to add a “multi-functional” midfielder to Endo rather than a “specialist” No. 6.
According to Miguel Delaney, the Reds’ continued interest in Doucoure is contingent on Crystal Palace’s asking price.
The Mali international’s price tag was previously rumoured to be £70 million, but other reports from Delaney indicated that he might be offered for less than £60 million.
Adding that there is “still interest” in the 23-year-old midfielder, they are “investigating” the possibility of signing another player before the deadline on Friday.
Although a formal approach has not yet been published, the midfielder, who was crowned Crystal Palace’s Player of the Season for 2022–2023, appears to have been on the club’s radar all summer.
Wilfried Ndidi is also rumored to be a target, with Leicester supposed to be more inclined to sell at the last minute after being demoted to the Championship last year.
After Fabinho left for Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Pro League last month, Doucoure was mentioned as a potential Fabinho replacement.
Although the addition of Endo from Stuttgart lessened the demand for defensive midfield recruitment, there are still several requests from fans for one more to be added this week.
That clamor has been intensified by failed attempts to secure high-profile transfers for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, with Ryan Gravenberch being one of the most recent names to be connected.
We’ll have to wait and see whether the Reds make any late moves, but their strong start to the year has shown that Klopp’s team is capable of competing if they add more players.
