A report claims Real Madrid star Federico Valverde has been the subject of a huge Premier League offer, following rumours of Liverpool interest in the central midfielder.
Valverde has enjoyed plenty of success with Real since gaining promotion to their senior squad in summer 2018. He cost the Spanish club £4.5million when joining from Penarol two years earlier.
Valverde has made 151 appearances for Los Blancos since becoming part of their first team and has helped them to win two La Liga titles, plus one Champions League.
He usually operates in the centre of the pitch. But Carlo Ancelotti tends to play the Uruguayan at right wing.
Last season, this allowed the Italian manager to go with a midfield three of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric.
Plus, Valverde could help the midfield out defensively while Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema remained up front.
But after Casemiro’s big-money switch to Manchester United, it looks as though Valverde will battle Aurelien Tchouameni for that holding midfield role.
Last month, reports in Spain put Valverde on Liverpool’s radar. The Reds could probably do with capturing another midfielder.
Jurgen Klopp insists this will not happen this summer, making a move for Jude Bellingham in 2023 likely. However, Valverde is an alternative if Bellingham ends up going elsewhere.
Federico Valverde the subject of £75m bid
As per Spanish journalist Tomas Gonzalez-Martin, cited by Madrid Universal, a Premier League team has now come forward with a £75million (€90m) offer for Valverde.
The reporter doesn’t reveal which English club sent the proposal. It is most likely one of the so-called ‘Big Six’, or Newcastle, as these are the sides who could afford such a fee.
What is known is that Real responded by pushing the offer back. They view Valverde as being ‘untouchable’, especially after Casemiro’s exit.
The 24-year-old has five years left to run on his contract at the Bernabeu, after extending his terms last summer. As such, Real can reject pretty much any bid that comes in for him.
Real’s stance on Federico Valverde will probably put Liverpool off. They will not want to pay such a huge sum for a player as they cannot compete with the financial might of Manchester City.
Of course, Bellingham may cost around £100m. But Liverpool chiefs may sanction this one-off move if he is Klopp’s most sought-after target.
Carragher talks Liverpool transfer hunt
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher recently gave his take on the club’s midfield search. He said (via Liverpool Echo): “I think they’d only go for a player they really wanted if he came on the market right now for whatever reason. I’m sure they’ve got something lined up for midfield next summer that’s why they haven’t done it this summer.
“They’ve certainly got the numbers in terms of midfielders but those numbers are getting over 30 and quite injury-prone, so you don’t see many of them playing or having a full season, so I think there will be a lot of chopping and changing in midfield. You’ll be surprised if any of them play over 30 games in that position because there’s so many options.
“I think Liverpool will go with what they’ve got. I think most will look at Liverpool’s first choice team and think they could do with a quality midfield player to come in there, a different age than what Liverpool’s first choice midfield is with Henderson, Thiago, Fabinho – Thiago’s out now at the moment – but they’re over 30.”
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s Euro Paper Talk claims Liverpool have added a Paris Saint-Germain player to their wish list.
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