Liverpool are shaping up for a busy summer in the transfer market and Jurgen Klopp is already closing on his first new signing.
Alexis Mac Allister is on the verge of completing his move from Brighton after he was spotted outside the club's training ground on Wednesday ahead of undergoing a medical. Klopp is planning an overhaul of his midfield with further arrivals expected, though Leicester's Youri Tielemans is not expected to be one of them.
Barcelona's Franck Kessie was also linked with a £30m switch this week but his agent has denied he is set to leave the Nou Camp. But while Klopp is anticipating plenty of new arrivals, not all will be present on the first day of pre-season.
Here's the latest news from around Anfield.
Mourinho ready to ruin Arsenal and Liverpool transfer hopes
Jose Mourinho is hoping to seal an ambitious move for Youri Tielemans following Leicester’s relegation to the Championship.
Tielemans is one of seven players to be released by the Foxes amid the end of his contract and he is now free to negotiate with clubs around Europe. Liverpool were alongside Arsenal in keeping tabs on the Belgian’s situation previously with thoughts they could turn to Tielemans to boost their depth in midfield.
However, Mourinho now looks to disrupt those plans by tempting Tielemans to Serie A. Given their significantly lower budget than their Premier League rivals, a free transfer would be ideal for Roma after they failed to secure Champions League football for next season, making them less attractive to high-profile transfers.
Mourinho hasn’t struggled to get Premier League players to join his side with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling thriving under his management; and it has been reported by Birmingham Live that Roma have already made contact with Tielemans over a switch.
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Klopp dealt early blow
Jurgen Klopp’s hopes for a smooth sailing pre-season following a disappointing campaign has already been jeopardised with only nine players set to be available when Liverpool report back for training after the summer.
The Reds could be welcoming a number of new signings for their preparations for the 2023/24 season, but just a handful will be present at Kirkby from the outset.
The disruption is caused by international fixtures and only players not involved with their national teams this month will return to Liverpool in early July, ahead of four planned friendlies as well as two oversea trips.
Liverpool hijack Man Utd plan AGAIN
Klopp has beaten rivals Manchester United to the punch again by swooping to sign Alexis Mac Allister.
The Brighton midfielder was on United boss Erik ten Hag’s radar but he has since moved on to new targets after Liverpool muscled their way in to complete a deal. Mac Allister has completed a medical at Liverpool and is set to be unveiled by the club in a cut-price deal worth in the region of £45-50m for the World Cup winner.
It is not the first time Liverpool have stumped their rivals, after landing Luis Diaz in January last year and snapping up Cody Gakpo in this year’s winter window after both had attracted interest from United.
